Greetings to Everyone

This week is Refugee Week when all kinds of activities and events are taking place across the country to draw our attention to and learn about asylum seekers and refugees, to celebrate the gifts and talents of so many refugees who achieve settled status and go on to contribute much to the UK. It also gives us a chance to know about the many people and groups who support and help them in many different ways. We have numbers of doctors, surgeons, and nurses, for example, who surviving the experience of escaping dangerous situations have ended up working in our hospitals throughout the pandemic, saving lives and caring for so many sick people.  One such, for example is, Dr Abdulkarim H, who is now working at St George’s Hospital, having successfully re-qualified (his original medical qualifications were Russian, and he had to pass an English language test).
 
He, like others with many skills and professions, are only too willing and eager to give something back to this country. You can find out more by going to: www.refugeeweek.org.uk
 
Just to remind you of our regular Wednesday evening prayer time at 7.30pm. The link below is in Tony’s update. This Wednesday we will be praying, among other things, for the short-listing process for our new incumbent. We think of Tony, Pam, our Area Dean Julie, Archdeacon John, and Bishop Rob, who are all involved in selecting for interview from those who have applied.  Hoping you will be there.
 
Love and good wishes - Sally

 

 

 

"This week is the final week for applications for our incumbency to be put in.  I understand that as of yesterday there was 1 applicant and 30 enquiries, which is considerably more than earlier this year.  So please keep praying as I expect more applications in over the next few days.

 

 

On Sunday during our service we Listened to Matheus Zandona, a messianic believe, who is part of the Netivyah movement which is an Israeli based messianic Jewish movement.  In his sermon he references Rabbi Shulman and I had heard him speak on the mustard seed, replicated here in the similar words.  I cannot immediately find the you tube clip of Rabbi Shulman, but he has doing a series on the parables which I have found quite instructive.  When I find this clip, I will share this with you all.
 
As I tried to put this into context, after we had listened to the video during service, we quite often apply our western traditional thoughts to the parables.  Most common I think with the mustard seed is faith and how that grows - this with a view to encourage our faith - and that might be valid.  But Jesus’ hearers would have heard something we may not really hear.  In reading the Old Testament we might remember Israel was said to be the least of the nations, yet God promised to make it big and that all nations would be blessed through Israel.  Actually, he mustard seed is not the smallest seed.  In Israel, the mustard plant is a bush not a big tree, so you see the problem.  What Jesus might well have been saying was do not worry yes Israel will become like the big bush and birds (nations/people) will make their homes there.  I would like us to become more acquainted with the real setting of gospels, of Jesus’ period so that we better understand rather than get caught up with traditions.  We might then be better able to speak with our non-Christian friends about Jesus and also to our Jewish neighbours.

 
Here is the link: Understanding the Mustard Seed Parable - Matheus Zandona: 
https://youtu.be/sr5uWbM44m0

 
If you have any questions do ask and I will try to answer them or point you in the direction to study and think through the answer."
 
 
 
  
This evening is our weekly prayer meeting, zoom link below, which is also the link for Sunday.

Church Wardens is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Church Wardens's Personal Meeting Room

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Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. It is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives, and creative work on their own terms.
The theme of Refugee Week 2021 is, “We Cannot Walk Alone”. The week is an invitation to think about what asylum seekers and refugees have gone through, are going through now, in order to get here to escape from persecution, warfare, starvation, discrimination and so much more. We are asked to think about and take some kind of action to support them, to extend our hand to someone new perhaps, donate money to organisations who support them who fight for their release from detention centres, who provide advice and the practicalities of everyday living when they are on the streets, such as “Amnesty International”, “Refugee Action”, “Refugee Council” who do much to support children who are traumatized. You could learn about groups such as “Hear me Out” who are professional musicians who give their time going into the detention centres to support detainees to play and compose their music; so much of it is stunning and can be found by going to: Hear Me Out <emma@hearmeoutmusic.org.uk>
 
It is heartening to know there are so many organisations that offer support in a variety of different ways, and we can take part in our different ways. 

There must be a number in our own congregation who know what it is like to see, and experience suffering in their/your own countries and know the needs of people. I have met so many in schools and elsewhere whose journeys to get here are indescribable; their courage and tenacity to survive has taken my breath away. It has to be remembered that in this current Hostile Climate, that has been fostered over the years towards asylum seekers and refugees, not to mention the Windrush families who were actively invited here in the first place, they are not criminals as they are so often portrayed and treated, but traumatized people who bring with them a variety of gifts, professional skill and expertise that could, if utilized properly, benefit our country. We have at this time a great need of all this.  If you google “Refugee Week” you will find many different ways of supporting asylum seekers and refugees that you might find helpful. Both books of the Bible are stuffed full of our responsibility to care for the refugee, the alien in our midst - the book of Ruth is about just that - to work for justice, and to remember Jesus ‘s whole ministry, role model and teaching that we are all made in the likeness of God. 

Below I have put two different events for your information and interest. Bishop Munib Y, especially, is a remarkable man of great wisdom who I have met on many occasions as he is the Lutheran patron of the Anglican-Lutheran Society of which I am a trustee.  He works tirelessly for peace in Palestine between Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and is a founding member of the Council for Religious Institutions in the Holy Land (CRIHL), an organization of interfaith trialogue with membership including the Heads of Churches in the Holy Land, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs, and the Islamic Shari’a Courts of the Palestinian Authority. He has received many international awards for his work for peace and unity. So, on:

 

 

 

Whoever and wherever you are, those who have organized Refugee week hope you will join them in making Refugee Week 2021 a bold, collective act of reaching out; a space for us all to listen, to exchange and connect. To find out what we can learn from each other, and what we can build together.
 

 
You are invited to an exhibition of art, in the medium of oil paint and collage, which is taking place at the Highgate Gallery, 11 South Grove, London N6 6BS, by the artist, Helen de Sybel, between 25th June – 8th July. Her work is inspired by the stories of migrants. Under the title of "Borders" Helen’s work first grew out of a deeply felt reaction to the plight of the refugees in the ‘Calais Jungle’ (2016).  Helen references the conditions of war and displacement that have driven many of these individuals and their families from their countries of origin to seek a better life. 

Helen, is a supporter of the London Churches Refugee Fund (LCRF), and has very generously offered 30% of all art sale proceeds from the entire exhibition (25th June – 8th July 2021) to LCRF, which is wonderful news for the numerous front-line refugee projects across London who apply to us regularly each year for funding to support their work with destitute asylum seekers.(www.lcrf.org.uk)

I wonder if you have ever been persuaded to buy a book because all your friends are reading it and telling you what a brilliant story it is, that you must get it? I did that recently with a book called “Light Perpetual” * by Francis Spufford. When I started reading, I could not get into it at all. I wondered what all the fuss was about and was tempted to abandon it. The problem is, once started, I always feel I have to plough on until the end. In this case I am so glad I did. The story is about 5 children with their mothers in the East End of London in 1944 when a German rocket falls on the supermarket where they are shopping, obliterating it and leaving no survivors. This is the factual bit. It did happen. But Spufford then goes on to imagine, what would happen if instead the rocket gets diverted so the 5 children go on to live their lives to experience all the changes of the 20th century. From then on, he follows each child’s life through from 1944 to 2000, developing their personalities, their different ways of living and coping with the many things life throws at them- or they throw at life!  I became totally engrossed in seeing how each developed over time responding to the issues of the changing times. Spufford is an original writer who gets inside the minds and thoughts of his characters in deeply moving, compassionate ways, as well as being very amusing. Some of us will recognize the issues of each decade and compare our own memories and reactions to them, either identifying with their predicaments or rejecting how thy behave. I am so glad I persevered and did not give up too early. There just might be a moral for me if I think about it!
 

 
Why not support online Christian bookshops and buy them from one of these:
https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/gift-books/christian-poetry-books/hearts-time/, or
https://spckpublishing.co.uk/heart-s-time-pb, or
https://shop.northumbriacommunity.org/product/the-hearts-time/


 

 

 

Kadosh - Lyrics and Translation - Yeshua/Messianic
https://youtu.be/9995T-G4GdE

Daily Hope - The Church of England Phone line church service - is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind.

We at Golders Green Church will continue to offer a number of ways we can and will keep in contact though emailing and phoning each other, the use of Facebook and the website, sending out updates by supporting those who need shopping, prescriptions fetched, letters posted and anything else you may need if you are isolated at home, whether you are in the over 70-year-old age group, or, have underlying health conditions.
The important thing is, PLEASE LET US KNOW by emailing churchwardens@gg-pc.co.uk .
 

You may wish to join in worship during this time through television and radio.
Check online, in the Radio Times and elsewhere for details:
Songs of Praise BBC 1, Sunday afternoon, variable times
Sunday Worship BBC Radio 4, Sunday, 8.10am Choral Evensong BBC
Radio 3, Wednesday Daily Service
BBC Radio 4 (Longwave only), weekdays, 9.45am
Big Sunday Service Premier Christian Radio, Sunday, 7am, 8am, 10am Easter Sunday Eucharist A service is usually broadcast on the BBC on Easter morning
Free 24 hour telephone church service 0800 804 8044
Online resources Church of England Daily Prayer https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-dailyprayer
https://mailchi.mp/b9d86a4acdc7/coming-up-from-st-pauls-cathedral-1274047?e=377e26b1db St Paul’s Cathedral have a number of resources available for us to use.
Church of England Online Resources during this time https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronaviruscovid-19-liturgy-and-prayer-resources
Go On-line to " ps://www.achurchnearyou.com", put in Area or post code and find a local church that broadcasts Worship.
Prayers from Christian Aid https://www.christianaid.org.uk/pray/churches/coronavirus-prayers
https://pray-as-you-go.org/ Pray as you Go (a short service each day in the Jesuit Tradition)
LICC have some great resources on their website https://www.licc.org.uk/
Especially on Covid-19 https://www.licc.org.uk/ourresources/prayer-journeys/presence-pressure-purpose/