Magazine for March 2010

Churches Together in Coventry and Warwickshire

Churches Together in Coventry and Warwickshire invite you to a Traditional style “Annual General Meeting”

To include the Induction of Miss Anne-Marie McTavish as a new Co-Moderator of CTCW.

7.30 pm Wednesday 18th March 2010 at Queen’s Road Baptist Church, Coventry

Presentations will be given about innovative projects to provide:

Healing on the Streets in Warwick

A New Palm Sunday Procession in Coventry

Street Pastors in Rugby

Magazine for March 2010

Choir

We have been delighted to welcome Roy Robinson into the Choir, and we have plenty of room for others to join us. It would be great to have 4-part harmony every Sunday. At the moment the best we can manage is three parts. Come along to a choir practice on a Friday evening in the Lounge. For more details contact Ruth Smith.

St Matthew Passion

St. Michael’s Singers will be performing this “in the round” in Coventry Cathedral on Good Friday at 6 pm. Further details from coventrycathedral.org.uk

Magazine for March 2010

Fairtrade fortnight

At St. Mark’s we use Fairtrade all 52 weeks of the year. but especially this fortnight – give it a try!

Barrie Johns in Bedford Street and the Christian Resource Centre in Radford Road both stock a wide range of goods. It seems so unfair that big and rich corporations should pay farmers LESS than they can possibly live on, and then charities need to help those same farmers – effectively subsidising the multinationals.

We are encouraged to write to supermarket managers asking them to stock the Fairtrade goods we would like to see regularly on their shelves.

This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight actually runs from 22nd February to 7th March, but the dates are less important than the action! We’re asked to join in The Big Swap – our usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff. Our usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, our usual cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, and our usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa.

Whenever you go to the shops, you can use your purse or your wallet, to make a stand for the Third World!

Magazine for March 2010

I’ve been on holiday!

I’ve spent three weeks in Warwick Myton Hospice, and I want to tell you what a wonderful time I am having.

Nothing is too much trouble for any of the nurses or volunteers who work there. Beds are comfortable, rooms are spacious and a daily Jacuzzi bath is a ‘heavenly’ treat. Meals – freshly cooked on the premises – come exactly as ordered and are beautifully presented. Tea appears on request at any time of the day or night. Television (with individual screens) is free for everyone and complementary therapies like massage and manicure are offered freely too.

Myton needs and deserves our support – prayer, financial, and volunteers. I know that at least two people from St Mark’s help there. Could we do more? Please read the details below and consider what you can do to support this fantastic place!

Heather Took

Warwick Myton Hospice: main entrance

MYTON HOSPICE WARWICK

Warwick Myton Hospice supports and cares for people with advanced progressive life limiting illnesses.

Patients at Myton Hospice, Warwick are treated with courtesy, privacy and dignity. The qualified staff offer a range of services to patients including Physiotherapy, Spiritual Care, Counselling and Occupational Therapy.

The high quality services and care are provided free of charge to those who really need them. Because of this Myton Hospice is a charity and relies heavily on donations.

Learn more at: www.mytonhospice.org

Dan Mundy is Consultant in Palliative Medicine, based at Coventry Myton Hospice. Until recently he was Medical Director at Warwick Myton. He says:

“It was particularly good to learn from Heather that Myton is fulfilling its aim – to care for the whole person. There is nothing more important for the hospice than having people writing about their experience. This is the best way of illustrating what the hospice is all about.

“All hospices have been affected by the financial downturn and are facing a real challenge to raise the funds that they need. Myton needs to raise around £6 million annually from the people of Coventry and Warwickshire.

“All support from the local community is greatly appreciated whether through prayer, financial support or volunteering.”

Magazine for March 2010

Moldova mission

Many of you will know that Moldova is a country close to my heart. Although I have really only known of the place for a couple of years my experience of the country and the people has established it as a very special place for me.

It was just under twelve months ago that I and the eleven other intrepid ‘Snowdodgers’ drove (or were towed) into Moldova. The border crossing was quite a feat with many questions from the Ukrainian boarder guards on exit and even more from the Moldova guards just 100 metres further, on the other side of the river. All the same, it was great to finally reach the destination and after a series of breakdowns we rolled into Chisinau, the capital city, six hours late. Even at midnight we were still greeted with the beaming faces of some of the Bethany Church members who had spent the last three weeks waiting with excitement for our arrival.

We only spent three days with the people of Bethany Church but their welcome, excitement and generosity was brilliant. We were most struck by their gratitude which was, at times, almost uncomfortable. After all, 5,500 miles of exploring snowy Northern Europe, dodging lorries and police in Russia and playing with old cars didn’t seem like a burden – it was an adventure!

However, what they were so touched by was that we had bothered. That we had cared enough to give up three weeks plus a fair few weekends of planning, to go and see them. To raise money for their work and to show God cares for forgotten people.

Moldova Ministries has been supporting the work of the Bethany Church since the 80’s and their partnership has produced incredible results. Through funding, prayers and God’s blessing, the Bethany Church are able to feed sixty pensioners three days a week, week in week out.

Many of the elderly people live in poverty. Their state pension barely covers the utilities let alone food, medicine, transport and life’s other expenses. This leaves them with difficult choices to make every day leaving many with spiralling debt and not enough food.The Bethany Church has seen this need and each month supports the sixty worst off. We had the chance to meet some of these people and their spirit and enthusiasm was infectious, as was their faith in God’s daily provision.

I think it is time I went back to Moldova and I would like to take some of you! Bethany Church has invited St Mark’s to support one of their summer camps which works with vulnerable young people, giving them space to have fun, learn of God’s love for them and forget about the situations they have to live with every day. My hope is to take out a group of ten people for the week 12th-19th August to support them and serve them.

More details will be announced over the next month but if you are up for an Eastern European adventure (without the driving!) then get ready… it’s coming!

Jay

mrfarley@gmail.com

Magazine for March 2010

Renewable

At the moment I am involved with a project that converts waste into bio-gas. It is about using renewable sources of energy as an alternative to using fossil fuels. The amount of natural gas available in the North Sea is declining and one means of supplementing our need for natural gas is to use bio-gas. Put simply, it is about turning sewage into gas that can be used to power our homes. The process is anaerobic digestion. Microbes are used to chomp up sewage in an anaerobic digester to produce gas and a material that can be used as a fertilizer. The gas is then treated so that it is compatible with gas in the gas distribution network. The process is not cheap and needs capital investment but it converts something pretty unpleasant into something really useful.

So what is the connection between bio-gas and Lent? I believe that Lent is a good time to think about transformation processes and costly investment. There are times when we can look at ourselves or the events going on in the world and what we see is just a mess. God did just the same – but He saw the potential that was there. He saw something in us that could be transformed into something of great value, and He saw that it would involve great cost. The cost of our transformation, of our salvation, was Jesus willingly dying for our sins upon the cross on Good Friday.

When we feel downhearted at what we see around us, let us remember the wonderful things that can done with very unpromising materials. Unlike anaerobic digestion, the price of salvation has already been paid and God’s love through Jesus is transforming all things around us however hopeless they might seem.

David Bradshaw

Magazine for March 2010

Library

Have you had a look recently at St. Mark’s Library? Perhaps you have not noticed it in the Committee Room. No ticket is required. No signing in or out. There are books on Bible Study, Biblical archaeology, Theology, prayer, bereavement, quizzes and jokes, and questions answered.

If you enjoy a good read there are fascinating biographies and autobiographies. Try comparing the story of Terry Waite with that of his brother David. Try the story of Malcolm Worsley, who spent years in prison, but whose life was turned around when he became a Christian (and received much help from John and Eileen Moore.)

Just PLEASE return the books really promptly. More details from Ruth Smith.

Magazine for March 2010

Plant expert

When we finally get some warmer weather, we shall start to think about gardens. No doubt David Taylor, a regular member of our congregation, is already making plans for hanging baskets, for which he won an award last year in the Leamington in Bloom competition. He was also responsible for some equally beautiful tubs, all at Huntley Lodge. Congratulations to David, and we look forward to seeing this year’s displays.

Magazine for March 2010

New Frontal

After months of work the new Lenten frontal is complete. Do take a close look at this amazing labour of love. We are very grateful to the embroiderers: Diana Griffiths and Gillian Alderman are here pictured alongside it, and Judith Nicholls also worked with them.

Magazine for March 2010

Baby-sitting service

Young Leader at Guides and Brownies.

Comfortable with dogs and cats.

Tel: 423078 for more details.