January 2020
5th 8.00am Holy Communion [Christmas 2]
10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)
10.45am Family Communion
6th 10.30am Epiphany Communion
8th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)
1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)
9th 2.00pm Longmeadow Services
12th 8.00am Holy Communion [Baptism of Christ]
10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)-
10.45am Family Communion
4.00pm Bank Road Messy Church (MMURC)
15th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)
1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)
8.00pm PCC (Meeting Room)
19th 8.00am Holy Communion (1662) [Epiphany 2]
10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)
10.45am Family Communion
4.00pm Christingle Service
21st 2.00pm Valley Lodge Service
22nd 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)
11.00am Lilybank Service
1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)
26th 8.00am Holy Communion [Epiphany 3]
10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)
10.45am Family Communion
27th 10.30am Almshouse Meeting (Meeting Room)
29th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)
1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)
Baptisms
Weddings
4.12.2019 Ian & Lynne Garthwaite
Funerals
19.11.2019 David Barker (80)
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to you all!
By the time you read this, all the cards will be opened and wrapping paper ripped off to reveal either delight or a diplomatic face – I once had to open a parcel from my grandparents when newly ordained to discover a grey v-neck pullover (As that’s what they thought vicars wore!).
By now the glitz will have fallen from the political manifestos and reality will creep in – I saw a cartoon once where a child asked their parent, “Do all fairy stories begin ‘Once upon a time’?”. “No”, replied the parent, “Many begin, ‘if I’m elected I will…”
Whatever has happened and whoever has been chosen to serve our constituency and as our government, it is important that we pray for all called in public service, particularly at Westminster, that they serve with diligence, honesty and integrity in the interests of our society at large.
A new year brings with it a wealth of possibilities as well as challenges. Through all the changing scenes of life, as the Psalmist put it, we have the assurance that we do not face them alone or solely in our own strength. Scripture witnesses to the deep abiding love and faithfulness of God. As Christians we do not need to fear the future but rather we are called and are marked by hope and trust in the God who has revealed themselves to be All-loving, trustworthy and true.
So if you’re the type to make resolutions at the start of a new year, make one in 2020 to seek to renew and deepen your relationship with God through prayer, reading the Bible and learning more. The Christian Faith is a journey of exploration into the limitless riches of the Divine Nature, not a standing still.
May you know God’s rich blessing in the coming year.
Richard
USPG PROJECT REPORT (Matlock Bank)
‘Education for Change’ – Plantation Community Development in Sri Lanka
‘Education for Change’ began in 2013 as the Colombo Diocese’s response to the needs of the communities of the tea plantations. Approximately one million tea plantation workers and their families, are disadvantaged in terms of housing, health and education.
In 2007 only 5.6% of the tea plantation population had attained their General Certificate in Education, compared to 11.3% of the general population. The church aimed to empower these communities, and education was considered to be one of the most important factors in bringing about long-term change. In 2019 ‘Education for Change’ continues to provide vital support for the children of the tea plantations communities. Access to pre-schools, extra tuition and higher education opportunities has had positive and long-lasting effects. Children are now growing up with big career ambitions not only for themselves, but also so they can support their communities in the future.
The Colombo Diocese, and its plantation community development programme has had challenges in 2019. In April, Sri Lanka faced fear and uncertainty after the Easter Sunday attacks. This brought a halt to ‘Education for Change’ project activities for almost three months. Fortunately, since July the church has been able to restart its pre-schools, classes and other activities slowly, but steadily.
Achievements so far
· 288 children have been supported through the churches education programme in five pre-schools in the areas of Sheen, Passara, Gonakale, Templestowe and Nuwereliya;
· 163 children attended tuition classes to help students aged 6 to 16 in the areas of Templestowe, Ragala, Kondakala, Gonakale and Beverly.
· Five students were supported with their higher education including advanced level qualifications and undergraduate degrees.
· Increase in the number of girls accessing education; out of the 120 children that attended the pre-schools 61 were girls.
· Improved quality of teaching through the church providing training seminars for teachers once every three months so that they are up-to-date with the latest teaching methods.
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USPG PROJECT REPORT (Tansley)
Welcome to the autumn report for Partners In Mission Church of South India, including the work of Green Schools, and ‘Justice for Girls’ programmes.
Green Schools in South India
The unwillingness of developed countries to cut their carbon emissions is significantly affecting human life in poor countries such as India. India is home to 14 of the world’s most polluted cities, with one in every eight deaths related to air pollution. There is a link between air pollution and poverty. 60% of India’s population still rely on biomass such as wood, charcoal and animal dung for cooking. Noxious fumes from burning biomass contribute to air pollution, are a risk to people’s health and increase child mortality.
The Church of South India (CSI) has prioritised eco concerns as a one of its main focus areas. It is the first church in India to state ecology as part of its constitution and mission. The church runs nurseries and schools across South India, and saw the opportunity to help children to become global citizens with a concern for the environment, and an understanding of environmental issues. They developed the ‘Green Schools Programme’ in partnership with the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, which is a leading national NGO on the environment.
Achievements so far
· 60 teachers have been trained on environmental issues, and how to carry out an environmental audit in their schools.
· 22,100 girls and 20,800 boys have benefited from assessing their school’s green credentials, participating in environmental
projects such as food gardens, and plastic and waste reduction, and engaging the communities surrounding their schools in environmental projects.
· School children have developed teamwork and collaboration skills through working on the environmental projects, and have displayed improved behaviour through having a calming space to tend trees, plants and vegetables.
· School children have improved well-being and nutrition through learning about fruit and vegetables from the school food gardens, and being able to make more educated food choices.
Justice for Girls in South India
Discrimination against women in India is prevalent among rich and poor, as happens in other countries including the UK.
To help tackle gender inequality, the Church of South India (CSI) has put girls at the heart of its campaign for justice. As part of the ‘Justice for Girls’ initiative, congregations have been trained in children’s rights and abuse. Churches are encouraged to report cases of abuse to the child helpline. The church also runs ‘Justice for Girls’ in schools and communities, where they create safe spaces for children to talk openly about gender equality and about abuse and how they would like to be protected. Children from all backgrounds are involved in the project, including street children and children with disabilities.
The children then take this knowledge back to their families initiating conversations about the rights of girls with a hope that this will help society move towards greater inclusion of girls. Thanks to the campaign surrounding ‘Justice for Girls’, girls have started to march in the streets to assert their rights to equality.
Achievements so far
· A Children’s Synod was conducted in May 2019 which involved 800 children including children with special needs.
· 55 participants from across the dioceses of the Tamil and Malayalam attended a dissemination workshop at the CSI headquarters. Participants were actively involved in understanding the context of a child in India, the vulnerabilities they face, legal provisions available and how the CSI commits to addressing these through the policy. Participants were led through sections of the CSI Child Protection Policy draft by the Girl Child Campaign team and gave their feedback.
· Increased awareness in the community of gender justice, and the importance of girls and women’s participation in society.
· Empowerment of children through giving them a voice so that they are safe, and free to discuss how feel and the issues that that affect them.
Prayers
Please remember the below in your prayers:
· Pray for the protection of girls and boys in India and other countries including their human rights.
· Give thanks to the staff of the ‘Justice for Girls’ initiative as they work tirelessly to promote the rights of children in South India.
· Pray for the Church of South India as it works towards the inclusion of children’s rights.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the USPG-supported work of the Church of South India.
On behalf of USPG and the Church of South India, thank you once again for being a Partner In Mission. We hope you have enjoyed reading about the life-changing difference that your support makes.