The next walk will be on Thursday 11 March. Please contact Roger Little for further details.

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Other News and Articles

News from Heulwen

 Yes, we got snowed in for a while. We returned from a New Year’s Day visit to Porthcawl along snowy motorway and very snowy A-road to find we couldn’t get up the drive and had to abandon the car at the bottom. This left us with a bit of a problem as Mam was in her party shoes and somehow had to reach the house. With one on either side we set off – in high spirits as by this time we were astounded at the beauty we could see. It had stopped snowing (temporarily), the moon was full and hanging above the trees and the light was fantastic. So we tramped up, leaving three very different sets of footprints behind us. The next morning we woke to see everything blanketed in snow but the road seemed clear and traffic was moving. However the car was not going to make it up the drive. Our visitors arrived and we spent a few hours sledging down the drive (trying not to collide with the car) and across the lower field, just eight over-50s and 60s having fun (Mam decided it was not her scene)!

 More snow meant getting up and down the drive in the car was impossible for two weeks, by which time we were getting a bit stir-crazy despite the beauty of our surroundings. Needless to say there was no builder in all this time so the last jobs were falling behind schedule. We had all worked our socks off to get rooms decorated before carpets came the day before Christmas Eve but we did it and even unpacked ‘best china’ to celebrate. Since the snow all the tidying up jobs have been done and there is just the back path to be completed – but the weather is not helping with that. Richie is gradually removing his tools in anticipation of being able to go and do a job  he has been postponing since October. We will miss him!

Next task – get the planning application in for renovating the cottage. The architect is due this afternoon to ensure the final plans are what we want and then it can be submitted. We are hoping to start that in the better weather and be completed by Autumn. Let’s hope the planners are in a good mood.

 Martin and I are off on a last minute, adventurous trip to Sri Lanka. We feel in need of a break before we start the next part of the Grand Plan.

It was good to see everyone at Warden Hill for the special service and we were sorry it had to be such a flying visit but weather worries sent us back home. I hope you did all have a cheer in the Sunday service to celebrate. Mam and I have been to the English Baptists in Ammanford a number of times now. They are small in number but we have found the remnants of the Llandeilo URC congregation there so it seems to suit us. As yet I have     volunteered only to do readings, they have a ‘Margaret’ who is secretary / cook / in charge of the CD player when the organist can’t play.

Martin, Sue and Ann

A message from your local Neighbourhood  Policing Team

 Hello

I would like to introduce myself as your local Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). I work as part of the Safer Community Team for Cheltenham Town Centre based at the main    Police Station at Lansdown Road. The areas I am responsible for are Montpellier and The Suffolks.

The Safer Community Team’s main priorities include combating criminal activity such as   anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, burglary and theft.

I would like anybody who has any concerns in their community, whether it be criminally related or not, to contact me, my contact details are listed below.

I can assist in security marking your property, and provide crime    prevention advice on request, to include a crime prevention survey of your home if you wish.

I, along with my colleagues will be attending the Church coffee  mornings and Saturday surgeries from time to time, and look forward to meeting you.

In addition to the above I will be available to speak to you at:

 The Retreat PH, Suffolk Parade – Wednesday 24^th March between 13:00 and 14:00

Montpellier Gardens Café – Friday 23^rd April between 15:30 and 17:00 hrs

 Kind regards

Susan Greenwood

Susan.greenwood@gloucestershire.police.uk

General non emergency Police number 0845 090 1234

The Church and the forthcoming General Election

 Last month we launched a new website:  www.churcheselection.org.uk - hosted by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, a resource for all the churches. Here it is possible to find:

Faith in Politics, a 16-page guide to some of the key policy areas likely to be debated in the run up to polling day. Each subject has been prepared by a leading Christian expert or campaigner in that field. It does not     represent a 'Church' view or support a party line, but is designed to       encourage Christians to engage with a range of important issues facing our country.

Planning a hustings meeting is our advice to local church based groups who are thinking about organising a community hustings. This builds on our experience of Churches Together groups planning and running events like this at General Elections for more than 30 years.

In the coming weeks and months more features will be added, including:

· An online churches hustings registration system and database, where you can advertise your meeting and see what else is          happening

· More issues and analysis of the key topics

· A monthly Churches' General Election e-Newsletter

· Analysis of the main parties' manifestos

· Links to other Christian organisations websites that are gearing up for an exciting and important General Election campaign

· News from the Churches about what they are doing during the Campaign

Maz’s sabbatical – some thoughts.

In September and October 2009 I toured all thirteen Synods, visiting one or two churches in each and interviewing groups or individuals. I asked the same questions throughout, recording and transcribing the replies.

Subject: Church Membership

 As a new minister in 1997, I was conscious that rising membership numbers looked healthy from an administrative point of view, whilst falling numbers gave the impression not only of a failing church but a failing minister.  My own experience over the years has been to encourage new members through holding membership courses.

 Within the last ten years, the concept of ‘commitment’ seems more and more difficult to nurture and I have recently wondered why I am flogging myself trying to make new members when some long-standing members do not always give a particularly good example of commitment to the local or national church.  

As almost a separate issue (though impossible, in reality, to be so) the URC as a denomination appears to concentrate solely on membership as an administrative tool, using the numbers-game to determine M&M contributions and deployment of ministers.   Where is the celebration?  How does the national church communicate to the new member that they recognize this important stage of his/her faith-development?

 Visiting all of the Synods has been a privilege.  I have met people (all members except one) who answered my questions with thought and discernment.  Without exception, all believed that becoming a church member equated with ‘belonging’, ‘showing one’s commitment’, ‘saying ‘yes’ to Christ’, and other faith-based comments.  There was an acknowledgement of the right to vote, but this was never the priority.  In general terms, these members within the URC have chosen their path knowingly and willingly.  

However, many churches I visited had not made new members in one or more years.  Some churches were in vacancy and the Elders did not want to take on a teaching-role they felt ill-equipped to perform; others were in a state of decline and a new member would have qualified as a miracle. One or two, however, mentioned that finance played some part in the decision not to make members.

 All of my participants agreed that a regular mid-week worshipper could become a member without regularly attending on a Sunday.  This was good to hear, as we must encourage churches to move from a ‘worship can only happen on Sunday’ mentality. 

 The feedback suggests there may be separate groups of members who do not regularly meet each other.  All the more reason for making Church Meeting special eg. preceded by a meal or keynote speaker.

 The single most disturbing result of my questioning was the abysmal lack of understanding of the ethos/values of the URC.  Many found it difficult to relate to the whole denomination, turning, instead, to what they saw as the local church’s values.  If members are being prepared thoroughly, why do they not have a broad understanding of our denomination?

 In general, most of the churches visited were made up of many backgrounds. Scotland Synod was not as diverse (mainly Church of Scotland/Congregational) but others reflected a wide variety of denominational experience.  Again, I want to ask – what are we teaching that celebrates who we are?

 I do not think I appreciated just how significant membership numbers were until I became an Area Minister.  Being told to find ways of reducing the number of ministers focuses the mind!  And yes, one starts to look at church numbers.  But some small local churches are serving their communities brilliantly; others are already in ecumenical partnerships where number-counting is diffused (or confused – take your pick.); others are in rural areas where geography makes linking churches difficult.  The treasurers I spoke to were only too aware of the burden of M&M and the significance of member numbers.  To be fair, my questions were inevitably going to lead some to criticize the formula for calculating their M&M contributions. Having discussed spiritual/faith matters, the change of subject gave them a chance to have a moan!  However, it was widely felt that M&M contributions should not be calculated on numbers alone.

 As far back as 1990, Eastern Province produced a discussion paper on church membership where they advocated church attendance as the criterion for judging the strengths and weaknesses of a local church. If you couple that with examination of church accounts, surely this is a fair way to calculate M&M?

 Most of the members questioned saw a distinction between the ‘act of commitment’ and a ‘number in a column’ though nobody could think of a better term than ‘member’.  A few felt strongly that ‘member’ excludes some and encourages a two-tier system.

 I continue my research into ‘membership’ and hope to interview moderators and synod treasurers (watch out David Black!).I would also appreciate your views on the subject. If you want to see my questionnaire, just ask.

Maz