Welcome to the online version of the Castle Square Newsletter.
Some of the content of the printed version of the Newsletter is available on other pages of this website. Below are the remaining articles and features from the Christmas 2009 edition.
The Newsletter is edited by Jan Harris and we are very grateful to her for putting together such an interesting magazine. If you would like a print copy of the Newsletter, please contact us using the "Contact us" button on the left hand menu bar.
The Minister's Letter
December 2009
Dear friends,
January is, like many of the days and months in our calendar, named after a pagan god – the Roman god Janus. His distinguishing characteristic was having two heads – as on the coin opposite. As you can see, one head points back and the other forward. He was the god of beginnings and endings, and so was particularly associated with the turn of the year, a time when we look back and look forward.
Fiona and I always write a family newsletter to go out with our Christmas cards, looking back on the year. We also always go out and buy at least one of the supplements in the newspapers showing the past year in pictures, to remember the events. I guess that this year there will be supplements marking the end of a decade also.
Churches are very good at looking back. We are proud of our past – and we shared some of our story again in a member-led service in November. I believe passionately in knowing where we have come from – perhaps because history was my favourite subject at school.
During the past year in Castle Square, we have seen a further growth in the work of Chewsdays, with new people coming along most weeks, new volunteers joining the team and Gold Awards for both hygiene and healthy eating; we have welcomed new people into the Sunday congregation and the Ladies' Guild; and we have welcomed a whole new group, the Monday morning Craft and Card-making. As a church, we can look back on 2009 with pleasure and satisfaction.
But living in the past is unhealthy. At one point in Israel's history, the prophet who writes in the Book of Isaiah told the people,
Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already – you can see it now!
(Isaiah 43.18-19, Good News Bible)
I don't think that Isaiah meant that people should forget all the stories in what we call the Old Testament about God's dealings with people and people's searching after God. But he was worried that they were clinging to those events, dwelling on them too much.
Even the pagans knew this. Janus's two heads are of equal size – not one bigger than the other. This is a healthy balance between looking back and looking forward. We need to know where we have been in order to plan where we are going. But we need to know where we are travelling in the future also. Once we get stuck in a rut, ploughing the same ground year after year, we end up quickly becoming irrelevant and out of touch.
So as we look forward to 2010 we should not be too disconcerted that the United Reformed Church is asking us to reconsider our use of paid ministry in Castle Square. We have got used to one pattern – sharing with our friends in Porth – but it may be time to start thinking of another one to take us forward beyond 2011. Neither should we be worried about the prospect of changing how our building looks and works so that it will be more useful in the future. Nor should we be anything other than grateful for the gifts and talents which new people bring to our fellowship. We have a lot to look forward to as well as a lot to look back on.
So I hope that, in this respect at least, we can take a leaf out of the pagans' book and aim for a good balance between looking back and looking forward, between celebrating the past and anticipating the future. We cannot foresee the future, it is true, but there is one thing that we can know about it for certain – God is there too!
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Good New Year
Gethin
Have a laugh
From Joan and Brian
GOT YOU!!
In a little village somewhere in Wales it was common knowledge that the minister and the village policeman did not get on together. The policeman used all his ingenuity to find an excuse to charge the minister with some offence or other, but the minister was a law abiding citizen and the policeman got more and more frustrated.
One day however, the minister was coming down a hill in the village and his brakes failed and he didn't quite negotiate the roundabout at the bottom of the hill and landed up on the roundabout with his bike on top of him. Who should be there at the time was the local policeman. He rushed over, secretly overjoyed at the minister's misfortune. He approached the minister and asked him if he was alright. 'Yes, thank you' stated the minister. 'God was with me'. 'Got you' said the policeman, getting his book out
'TWO ON A BIKE'!
Tommy was bored. The preacher had gone on and on and his mother had shushed him several times. 'Mam', he said in a loud voice, 'is it still Sunday?'
From David Harris
|
A man feared his wife Peg wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he
thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem.
The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband
could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.
'Here's what you do,' said the Doctor, 'stand about 40 feet away
from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears
you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a
response.'
That evening, the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was
in the lounge. He says to himself, 'I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what
happens.' Then in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?'
No response.
So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his
wife and repeats, 'Peg, what's for dinner?'
Still no response.
Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from
his wife and asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?'
Again he gets no response.
So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. 'Honey,
what's for dinner?' Again there is no response.
So he walks right up behind her. 'Peg, what's for dinner?'
'Frank, for the FIFTH time, CHICKEN!'
|
From Margaret Major
I take a number of short holidays every year, starting in April or May, leaving out the peak months of July and August and then continue through September, to tinsel and turkey in November or December. That went according to plan for 2008.
Then 2009 came along and in May I went off to Cumbria (incidentally where the floods were in November) and had an enjoyable vacation.
In June I was offered accommodation closer to home but that was unfortunately cancelled. Nevertheless, in September I was offered a bed at the same establishment and again I accepted the invitation and started to get everything together. I packed my case, arranged transport, and off I went.
The accommodation was first class, I made some new friends, the staff and management were kind and helpful, food was excellent, linen was clean and fresh and changed every day.
The days were passing quite nicely, but then the time came to return home. The management were very good, we were all given 'going home' presents, mine was a pair of surgical stockings and a pair of 'made to measure' crutches. I couldn't have had anything more helpful.
Yes, you've guessed, I'd been in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and had my hip operation, and was now being discharged. I'm delighted to say that my recovery has gone very well indeed, thanks to help and some good advice from a team of ladies from the Reability Services who came to see me at home, every day for two weeks.
I would like to say a big 'THANK YOU' for the prayers, messages, visits, flowers, cards etc. received during those weeks, each one was gratefully appreciated.
God bless you all, may you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Margaret 'M'
P.S. Roll on 2010!!!
His grace is sufficient
We are grateful to Bernice, who has given us this poem which was written a long time ago by Morwen Cocking, a faithful member of Castle Square until her death.
There is never a day so dreary,
nor an hour so filled with despair,
that help is not ours for the asking
if we knock at Heaven's portals in prayer.
At the moment we ask, He will answer,
He is never asleep or away,
He doesn't remove every burden,
but He always gives strength for the day.
He doesn't say life will be painless,
that we'll never grow tired or grieve,
but He promises rest for the weary,
and comfort to all who believe.
His grace is always sufficient,
in our weakness He helps us to stand,
and problems and trials are lighter
when we know He is holding our hand.
From Vena
The difference one can make
This year, once again, I am back with the birds of mid Wales.
As we drive northwards to Llanfairfechan through Rhyader, we pass the kite feeding centre. You can't miss it as it is very well signposted. The story of the birds here is quite remarkable.
During the twentieth century the numbers of red kites decreased alarmingly until they were almost extinct in Wales. However, one farmer in Rhyader spotted a pair of kites in his nearby fields and decided to do something about the situation. He visited the local butchers every day and collected the scraps of left-over meat and fat to feed these birds. Gradually over the years their numbers increased. Every day the birds gather in their hundreds for the food and are now thriving in many areas. The daily feeding times are now of great interest and a wonderful spectacle. This has encouraged a great interest for tourists and bird-watchers alike bringing much needed revenue to a quiet and lovely part of our country. That farmer certainly made a difference.
That has reminded me of Simon Weston and his famous advertising slogan – 'One person CAN make a difference'. Do you remember his plea for blood donors? I'm sure that made a great difference foe many people.
So many people throughout the ages have made a great difference in history. Men and women from all countries and peoples have given us new ideas and great inventions. We can never list them all but here are a few:-
William Tyndale who translated the Bible into English.
Christopher Columbus the explorer who discovered the new World
Elizabeth 1 whose long reign brought years of stability to Britain
Isaac Newton, William Wilberforce, Logie Baird, Charles Babbage made tremendous discoveries and reforms in more modern times. In fact, the list of famous people is endless. We wonder what will be discovered next.
But can anyone, whatever their faith or belief, deny the impact that the one special child born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago has made and still makes on the world?
One person can make a difference.
Donated by Margaret Stuart
HAPPINESS
Is to have enough for the days needs with
always some to spare for those who have not.
It is to possess the love of friends and to have
knowledge that all is well with them.
IT IS TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH ALL MEN
Happiness is to have strength to face
with courage all that the day may bring.
It is to cherish the gift of laughter, to be
quick to note all that is lovely and of
good report.
Happiness is to find our joy in the
common things of life, for so will youth
abide in our hearts till the end of our days.
Words about words
Dear all at Castle Square URC
As I write this in wet and windy Salford (and the rest of the UK), I am marvelling at the wonder of words which will convey my thoughts and opinions to you by some ordered arrangement of random letters. I guess that is what sets us, as humans, apart in the animal kingdom because as humans we have the capacity to think and reason and communicate in words as opposed to sounds. Animal lovers will argue otherwise and swear that different barks or meows or moos or baas have different meanings. I prefer not to enter into that debate.
The curious amongst you, like me, will wonder how words began in civilization. Wikipedia has been my fount of knowledge since learning of its existence about 3 or 4 years ago from Peter, Jan's elder son. The prehistoric humans communicated without words so it appears. Those who strictly believe the Bible will note that Adam could speak to God and named the birds and animals [Genesis 2] but was still lonely and thus God created Eve and the rest, as they say, is history!
I cannot speak about words without moving on to languages and if I stick to what the encyclopaedias tell us there are four ancient civilizations from which perhaps the languages of the worlds evolved. These four are said to be China, Iraq, India and Egypt. It is hard sometimes as a Christian to reconcile what the Bible says to what we are taught in history lessons. The Bible has its own account of how languages came about [Genesis 11] God punished the arrogance of the people when they built the Tower of Babel in order to reach the heavens, by creating different languages thus putting an end to their communication with each other and leading to confusion of sounds and noise or babel as the word means now. If one tries to understand the origin of languages from the big books it is much more confusing than the simplified Biblical account.
Growing up in Sibu, Sarawak on the island of Borneo, I was exposed to three major languages – English (as regions of Malaysia were once part of the British Empire), Malay (from neighbouring Indonesia) and Mandarin Chinese (many Chinese fled the Manchu regime at the turn of the 1900s). I took the tri-lingual environment for granted and it was only when I left Malaysia that I began to understand the importance of language as a means of political and commercial communication.
The history of the three languages is interesting: English belongs to the family of Indo-European languages and these originated from the Indian Sanskrit language. Other Indo-European languages include German, French, Italian, Russian, Celtic languages in addition to Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. The Malay language, borrowed from neighbouring Indonesia, also has its roots in the Sanskrit language. The Chinese language seems to have evolved differently and this may explain why it does not have alphabets but rather uses pictorial representations of visible objects and abstract ideas.
Enough about languages! I could write pages and pages and come no closer to fully understanding the subject. In any case, I started with words so I shall go back to them. And as this is for a church magazine I should go back to the word of God. The beauty of words is beyond doubt but not all words are beautiful when we put them together into sentences. James [Chapter 3] warns us to keep in check what comes out of our mouths because these beautiful words could become ugly, hurtful and corrupt – advice that is sometimes so difficult to heed!
The Bible (originally written in Hebrew and then also in Greek and Latin before it was translated into English) has much more to say about words and in particular has a lot to say about the Word. One of the most beautiful and mysterious passages of the Bible is found in John's Gospel [Chapter 1] which describes Jesus as the Word and how he came to earth as a human being. This brings us nicely to Christmas, which is just around the corner, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
However, before that, the Word was there all along with God since before Adam and Eve, before all the ancient civilizations, before the beginning of time and certainly before the birth of words and languages. So perhaps it is no surprise that words are wonderful or in particular the Word is Wonderful (defined as extra-ordinarily good and great). So as we tuck into the turkey and all its trimmings and open our worldly gifts, and amidst the babel of this earthly world, let us remember to ponder the wonder of the Word.
Have a very peaceful Christmas and a very happy 2010!
Lots of love
Lee Suanxx
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Lee Suan's 50th in Castle Square, April 2009
from Margaret Stuart
An Apache blessing
May the sun
Bring you new energy by day
May the moon
Softly restore you by night
May the rain
Wash away your worries
May the breeze
Blow new strength into your being
May you walk
Gently through the world and know
its beauty all the days of your life
This is a contribution from a member who doesn't wish to be named but who wants you all to know that the minister approved it being in the church magazine!!
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I am writing to you.
I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with you and Mum.
I've been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice, but I knew you wouldn't approve of her, because of all her piercings, tattoos, her tight motorcycle clothes and because she is much older than I am.
But it's not only the passion, Dad. She owns a caravan in the woods and has a stack of firewood, enough for the whole winter.
We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with other people in the commune, for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.
In the meantime we'll pray that science will find a cure for aids, so Stacy can get better. She sure deserves it!! Don't worry. Dad, I'm seventeen and I know how to take care of myself.
Some day I'm sure we'll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren.
Love,
your son, Scott.
P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Smiffy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the school report that's on your desk.
I love you. Call when it is safe to return home
We all need special angels
To gently sow the seeds
That keep us growing stronger
Throughout our times of need
They weed away misgivings
And they bring us sunlight too
Here's hoping that your angel
Is always there with you
Gill Cox has given me a number of funny church bulletins. I have included some of them here.
* The fasting and Prayer conference includes meals.
* Don't let worry kill you off – let the church help.
* Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again', giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
* For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
* Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands
*The sermon this morning: 'Jesus walks on water'
The sermon this evening: 'Searching for Jesus'
*The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast
From Jill Miller
I read this passage on one of our many trips to Canada when Mal was with me.
Being a Christian means that you do not go through life alone. Even in your most solitary moments, God is at your side in the person of His son and in the presence of His spirit.
You walk with God's hand in yours.
Phyllis Hobe
Kindness in another's troubles
Courage in your own.
Cheshire VC
The best things in life are free
When we count our many blessings
it isn't hard to see
that life's most valued treasures
are the treasures that are free.
For it isn't what we own or buy
that signifies our wealth,
it's the special gifts that have no price
our family, friends and health.
Emily Matthews
Milestones
As we get older, we may think that we have experienced many of the major milestones in our lives. We have married, had our children, retired. The dictionary tells us that a milestone is something that marks a particular event or stage in a life and I am sure that, whatever our age, if we look back over the past year, things have happened which have been milestones to us as individuals or families.
The passing of a loved one is obviously a major milestone which none of us likes to think about and one that has affected our family this year with the loss of Len. On a much lighter note, our eldest grandson moved up to the Comprehensive School last September and our youngest started school. Not huge events in the tapestry of life perhaps but both were little reminders of how quickly children grow up, how swiftly time passes (and that we're getting on a bit now). Tommi starting school has ended a ten year association for me with the local Meithrin (Welsh nursery), having taken the four boys in turn and watched them progress and develop each in their own very different ways. I felt rather sad in a way although there are lots of pluses with them being in school!! Rhys no longer comes to us to go to school with the younger ones which means we see less of him during the week. Small changes but they remind us how precious families are, including our church family at Castle Square, and how grateful we are that we have been blessed in this way.
There's a story which tells of a man, on his way to a meeting, who was unable to find anywhere to park. He drove round and round and eventually in desperation prayed to God. 'Please God, find me a parking space, I'm in a real fix'. He turned the corner and there was a space at the roadside. ' Oh it's OK God 'he said 'I've found one myself now'.
This may be a joke but I think it contains a genuine message. First, we don't have to be desperate to pray to God, in fact, we can talk to him wherever we are, in the quiet and calm or the hurly burly of everyday living. Secondly, to recognise when our prayers have been answered and to say thank you to Him for all our many blessings. May your milestones in the coming New Year all be happy ones but with His help and guidance He will see us through whatever shape or form they come in. The following little verse expresses it much better than I could:
When you are sad, I'll dry your tears
When you are scared, I'll comfort your fears.
When you are worried, I'll give you hope,
When you're confused I'll help you cope.
And when you are lost and can't see the light I'll be your beacon shining ever so bright.
This is my oath - I pledge to the end,
Why? you may ask - because you're my friend.
With very best wishes for a peaceful Christmas from Ann
Eyam
Earlier this year Lee Suan and I went on a trip to Eyam in Derbyshire with her church. We knew we were going to the 'dressing of the well' but didn't know much about it.
The event started with a service at the church where many villagers were dressed in 17th century costume. From there we joined a procession (singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers' as we walked) to a local field where a memorial service and play were held. Through this play we learned of how the village was affected by the plague in the sixteen hundreds.
In the summer of 1665, the village tailor received a parcel of material from his supplier in London. This parcel contained the fleas that caused the plague. The tailor was dead from the plague within one week of receiving his parcel. By the end of September, five more villagers had died. Twenty three died in October.
Some of the villagers wanted to leave the village for the nearby city of Sheffield. Mompesson, the rector, persuaded them not to do this as he feared that they would spread the plague into the north of England that had more or less escaped the worst of it. They effectively agreed to quarantine themselves even though it would mean death for many of them.
The village was supplied with food by those who lived outside. People brought supplies and left them at the parish stones that marked the start of Eyam. The villagers left money in a water trough filled with vinegar to sterilise the coins. In this way, Eyam was not left to starve to death. Those who supplied the food did not come into contact with the villagers.
In 1666. Mompesson had to bury his own family in the churchyard of Eyam. His wife died in August 1666. He decided to hold his services outside to reduce the chances of people catching the disease. Through this devotion and dedication, the plague was contained in Eyam.
I found the experience of visiting Eyam very thought provoking and indeed sad. At the end of the service, some soft music was sung and the names of all those families who were affected by the plague were read out. Standing there in the rain and hearing those words, I found myself crying for those I had never known.
This enactment is done every year in Eyam and in this way all those who died are remembered, even after more than 300 years.
We never did see a well dressing, although the wells had obviously been dressed (decorated) before we got there. I understand that this is another way of giving thanks to God for redemption from the plague.
I think those villagers can be proud of themselves as they gather each year to remember.
From Jan
Some jokes from David
What happened to the cat who swallowed a ball of wool? She had mittens.
There are three kinds of people. Those who can count and those who cannot.
Two lions are walking down the aisle of a supermarket. One turns to the other and says, 'Quiet in here today, isn't it?'
A man walks into a fish shop and says, 'Fish and chips twice'. The man behind the counter says, 'I heard you the first time'
Thank you
You have all come up trumps this year – what a variety of contributions to the magazine! I have had a great time editing it. I hope that you will enjoy reading it, the funny bits, the sad bits and the in between bits.
Thank you all for your Christmas cards and please accept this as mine to you. Time is beating me again, so I thought this would be a good idea as I am doing the magazine anyway.
It is sent with much love.
See you all soon
Jan