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OUR COMMUNITY
ST . T HOMAS’ CHURCH, KE RE SLE Y, AN D KE RE SLE Y V I LLAGE COM MUN I T Y CHURCH
www.st-thomas-keresley.org.uk
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 /
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
5 0 P
Inside this issue:
St. Thomas’
Calendar and
Notice Board
2
Local news 3
A very special gift? 4
St Thomas’ past 5
Keresley Village
Community
Church Calendar
6
What’s the big
idea 6
Parish Register 7
Mouse page 8
Star 8
At Christmas time,
when we receive
presents we don’t really
need, God offers us
a gift we cannot do without.’
Rejoice O world!
your Saviour has come
A warm welcome is extended to all to come and celebrate the
Christmas season at our churches of St Thomas and
Keresley Village Community Church. In the midst of the
cutbacks and the threats that dominate the TV news we can take
the opportunity to focus on the good news that is in Jesus, born to
bring salvation to the world.
Nativity service at St Thomas‘ on Sunday
19th at 10.30am. Carols by Candlelight is
at 6pm, where we focus on the bible
readings to remind us again of the
wonderful promise of God fulfilled by the
birth of Jesus and the example we can
follow, and rejoice
with familiar and
well loved carols.
School holidays
have begun, so
have some fun at
Make‘n‘take at St
Thomas‘ on Monday
20th and KVCC on
Tuesday 21st.
On Christmas Eve
there is a crib
service in the
afternoon where
children and their
families can enjoy
the simple and
joyful story of the
first visitors to the
stable and the baby
born.
At 11.30pm in the
quiet of the night we
take our first
communion of
Christmas and greet
each other with joy.
At 10am on
Christmas Day,
Steve and Jo Medley
will lead a lively
family celebration at
St Thomas.
Messy Church at KVCC on Sunday
12th at 2pm will be exploring the
nativity; craft, food, fun and fellowship
for all ages.
The Sunday school will be leading a
DECEMBER 2010 / J ANUARY 2011 P AGE 2
Saturday 25th—Christmas Day 10am Family Celebration. Steve and Jo Medley
Sunday 26th 10am Family Communion. Rev John Horton
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS ONLY ONE SERVICE TODAY
January Sunday 2nd 9am Holy Communion
10,30am Family Service. Ministry Team
Sunday 9th 9am Holy Communion
10.30am Family Communion
Sunday 16th 9am Holy Communion and hymns
10.30am Family Worship. Ministry Team
Sunday 23rd 9am Holy Communion
10.3am Holy Communion
Sunday 30th 9am Holy Communion
10.30am Family Communion
February Sunday 6th 9am Holy Communion and hymns
10.30am Family Service. Ministry Team
December Sunday 5th 9am Holy Communion and hymns. Rev Elizabeth
Kerr
10.30am Christingle Family Service. Pete Hudson and
Ministry Team
Sunday 12th Our visiting minister today is Rev John Horton, non-
stipendiary minister at St Giles Exhall
29am Holy Communion. -John Horton.
10.30am Holy Communion and Baptism. John Horton
4pm Messy Church. An informal service for everyone.
At Keresley Village Community Church.
Sunday 19th 9am Holy Communion and Carols. Rev Alastair Kirk,
Chaplain at the University of Warwick.
10.30am Nativity Service. Steve Medley and the Sunday
school and young people
6pm Carols by Candlelight
Monday 20th 1.30-3pm Make‘n‘take, all age Christmas crafts
Friday 24th—Christmas Eve 3pm Crib Service. Steve Medley
11.30pm Midnight Communion. Rev Becky Welch
C H I L D R E N A N D Y O U N G P E O P L E
DECEMBER 2010 / J ANUARY 2011 P AGE 2
Sunday Morning Activities at St. Thomas’ 10.30am (during term time)
1st Sunday Family Service in Church
2nd Sunday 3-11s, Sunday School in Galilee Room,
11+, Pathfinders in the Church Hall.
All join the service around 11.25am
3rd Sunday All ages start in Church
4th & 5th 3-11s, Sunday School in Galilee Room,
11+, Pathfinders in the Church Hall
All join the service around 11.25am
This pattern may change occasionally for special services.
ST. THOMAS’ CHURCH CALENDAR
First Steps . . . with Jesus
For babies and pre-school children
with their parents and carers
Meets in the Galilee Room, weekly
in term time
Mondays 1.30-2.30pm
Uniformed Groups Meet in the Church Hall :
9th Rainbows, Mondays, 6-7pm
13th Brownies, Mondays, 6.00 - 7.30pm
9th Brownies, Wednesdays, 6.00 - 7.30pm
9th Guides, Thursdays, 6.30 - 8.30pm
Meet in the Scout Hut:
41st Cubs, Mondays, 6.45 - 8.30pm
41st Scouts, Tuesdays, 7.00 - 9.00pm
41st Beavers, Fridays, 6.00 - 7.30pm
(for 6-8 year olds ) Thursday at St T’s
For 5-11 years Meets in the Galilee Room On Thursdays From 6pm to 7pm
new flavour
Thursdays
7.30pm to 9pm,
Galilee Room,
School year 9 upwards
OUR COMMUNITY P AGE 3
Christmas Choir Would you like to sing in the choir for the Carols by
Candlelight this year? We are aiming for four practices
meeting on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.
The dates remaining are:
Saturday December 4th 10am
Friday December 10th at 7pm
Friday December 17th 7pm, with band
Singers of all ages and abilities are
welcome; if you would like to take
part this year please give your
name to Heather Hudson or Jo
Medley. .
New Bookshop, new book
CLC took over the former Wesley Owen bookshop last
December and have moved to a new and
prominent location as part of their re-brand and
modernisation. The CLC bookshop opened its doors in
September at 1 City Arcade selling Bibles, Christian
books, CDs, cards and gifts, but was officially opened
by Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop
of Coventry on Saturday 13th November.
CLC Bookshop Manager, Angela Adams, was
delighted that Bishop Christopher chose to mark their
official opening with the launch of a local book of
more than local importance; a book which will inspire
21st Christians to keep Love, Prayer and the Holy
Spirit at the heart of the Church.
'Fire in Coventry' by Stephen Verney, is a book which
looks forward not only to the new Coventry Cathedral
as an icon of hope rising from the ruins, but also to
the call for a renewed people preceding the
consecration of their new Cathedral in 1962.The new
edition of this spiritual classic has a substantial
introduction by Bishop Christopher
The Right Reverend Stephen Verney (1919-2009) was
Diocesan Missioner in the Diocese of Coventry from
1958 to 1964, the year in which ‗Fire in Coventry‘ was
originally published. He then joined the staff of
Coventry Cathedral as a Residentiary Canon until
1970 when he left the city. In 1977 he was
consecrated Suffragan Bishop of Repton in
theDiocese of Derby
Interviewed shortly before his death last year at the
age of 90 Bishop Stephen said ―I began to see that...
the great fire which burnt down the heart of
Coventry... was not the end for the Cathedral but a
new beginning‖ .
Christmas Make’n’Take
All age craft event
Monday 20th December, St Thomas’ Church (or Tuesday 21st at KVCC)
1.30-3pm
Come along, have fun, make things for Christmas. Then join in with songs and mince pies at the end
CORD award
I nternational aid charity CORD has been awarded
the prestigious Coventry International Prize for
Peace and Reconciliation 2010.
The Leamington-based charity was founded in 1967
as a direct response to the humanitarian situation in
the war zone of Vietnam.
Since then it has developed its expertise working
alongside people displaced by violent conflict in 26
war-torn countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan,
Rwanda, Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of
Congo, assisting millions in peacefully and sustainably
rebuilding communities.
Messy Church is on
Sunday
12th December
at KVCC
from 2pm to 4pm.
Come and celebrate the Christmas story
with us. Fun, activities and food. For all the
family.
Christmas Fayre A grand total of £694.55 was raised at the
Christmas Fayre in November.
A big thank you and well done to all involved
for all your hard work in make this such a
success.
WANTED—Plastic milk bottle tops Jacqueline Quinn is asking people to save their
plastic bottle tops and bring them along to church
for her to collect.
A friend of their family needs a wheelchair but can‘t
afford to buy one. They have been told by the
company that if they can collect the weight of the
chair in plastic bottle tops they can have it for free.
DECEMBER 2010 / J ANUARY 2011 P AGE 4
A Very Special Gift?
G eorge asked, ‘My dad’s so rich that I don’t know
what to get him for Christmas. What do you give to
a man who has everything?’ Harry replied, ‘A burglar
alarm!’
It‘s not easy buying Christmas presents for others,
especially in times of economic uncertainty. However,
let‘s not forget the greatest gift ever given: Jesus Christ.
Our gifts at Christmas mean very little unless they point
at the greatest gift of all. This was certainly true of the
gifts given to Jesus by the Magi.
‘On coming to the house, they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped
him. Then they opened their treasures and presented
him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.’
Matt 2:11. These were just the kind of gifts that visitors
from the east might bring, as they were all traded in
this region. They were also very expensive gifts,
including gold, frankincense (a plant gum resin used in
incense) and myrrh (another gum resin used for
perfume). Although all very familiar, they help us to
understand God‘s gift of Jesus:
Who is he? Gold is a gift fit for a king. In Jesus we
see a king in baby clothes. The worship of the wise men
was costly, not only in terms of their gifts but also for
their lives.
What did he come to do? Frankincense was used by
the priests in the temple as part of the sacrificial
system. Jesus, as the ultimate priest, is the one who
came to bring God and man together in reconciliation.
He can do this because he is both divine and human.
What did it cost him? Myrrh was used to embalm the
dead. This gift reminds us that the baby of Bethlehem
would die on the cross to give his life for us. The wood
of the crib and the cross are the same wood!
The wise men offered him costly gifts; what are we
going to offer him this Christmas? Jesus is for us:
the Christ, the king who came to rule us and take
care of everything.
the Lord, who‘s not just a person like me but he‘s
God as well.
the Saviour, the one who came so that we can be
friends with God.
‘At Christmas time, when we receive presents we
don’t really need, God offers us a gift we cannot do
without.’ (J John)
Chile miners: the 34th man
T he Chilean miners have emerged from their
ordeal testifying to the presence of Jesus with
them, according to a CMS mission partner on the
scene.
The Rev Alfredo Cooper, chaplain to President
Sebastian Pinera, told BBC Radio Five Live that the
miners had a sense of Jesus being the 34th man in
the collapsed mine.
"Many of the miners went down as atheists,
unbelievers or semi-believers and they have come up
to a man testifying that they were not 33 but that
there were 34 down there - that Jesus was there with
them and that they had a constant sense of his
presence and guidance," he told Five Live's Peter
Allen.
Challenged by Allen that if divine intervention had
saved the miners, divine intervention must have put
them down there in the first place, Alf gave a careful,
clear response.
"Man is subject to accidents and all sorts of problems
thanks often to his wilful negligence, as was the case
in this mine. There are consequences when you don‘t
care enough for people. And of course in those
situations people tend to cry out to God... And the
interesting thing is God has answered."
Alfredo Cooper paid tribute to the work of all the
scientists, engineers, politicians and press, who had
contributed to the successful rescue of the miners.
"We see the hands of all these magnificent experts all
around, the good will of so many people
internationally and the brilliant coverage of the press.
We would suggest that all this works together for
good, that certainly as we prayed God has guided in
remarkable ways – even the scientists.‖
Alf helped to lead the country's prayers for the
trapped miners since the beginning. He described
how he had convened an emergency prayer meeting
at the presidential palace, and how the president had
asked for a service of thanksgiving when it was
discovered that the miners were still alive.
A New Year’s Resolution To begin with oneself,
but not to end with oneself;
To start from oneself,
but not to aim at oneself;
To comprehend oneself,
but not to be preoccupied with oneself.
By Martin Buber (Austrian born Jewish
philosopher)
OUR COMMUNITY P AGE 5 OUR COMMUNITY P AGE 5
My dear Friends
When this magazine comes into your hands the New year will have started, and it is most sincerely that I hope it will be a really happy one for you all. We have many perplexities to face, personal, national and international and through lots of them we can see no clear way: but we Christians have a sure conviction that God’s Hand is not weakened and that through Him justice and peace can triumph if only men will allow Christ's principles to guide their lives. This is an axiom of the Christian Faith, and as we try to live by Christ we find it true in practice.
“the words that one by one the touch of Life has turned to truth”
as Henry Newbolt, one of our modern English poets puts it.
And the last week has provided a striking illustration of this, in Mr Anthony Eden’s work at Geneva in the dispute between Hungary and Jugo-Slavia. The train was laid for war and feeling was rising high, till Mr Eden brought the spirit of conciliation and spoke and acted in so Christian a way that a settlement was reached in a few hours.
Because of our faith we start the New Year with hope because we know God's power: let us resolve that He shall have more influence in our lives this year, and the influence will then radiate to others and leaven the world.
Yours affectionately
G H Roper
St Thomas’ Keresley and Coundon January 1935 and the Vicar, Rev G H Roper begins his new year letter with a reference to very real
historical developments of the time. However, his urging to the parishioners to .‖leaven the world‖ is still
as relevant today
Left out in the cold
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services each week, stopped going. After
a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The minister found the man at home
alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his minister‘s visit, the man welcomed him warily,
led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The minister made himself comfortable, but said nothing.
In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the minister took the
fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly
burning ember and placed it to one side of
the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in
his chair, still silent. The host watched all
this in quiet fascination.
As the one lone ember's flame diminished,
there was a momentary glow and then its
fire was no more. Soon it was cold and
dead and dark. Not a word had been
spoken since the initial greeting. The two
men sat on in reflective silence.
A little while later, just before the minister
was ready to leave, he picked up the cold,
dead ember and placed it back in the
middle of the fire. Immediately it began to
glow once more with the light and warmth
of the burning coals around it. As the
minister reached the door to leave, his host
said, "Thank you so much for your visit and
especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be
back in church next Sunday."
DECEMBER 2010 / J ANUARY 2011 P AGE 6
1 & 2 Kings (like 1 & 2 Samuel) was originally a single
literary work called Kings, the division being
introduced by the translators of the Septuagint. The
books tell the history of Israel‘s monarchy from the
end of David‘s rule until the time of the Babylonian
exile following the fall of Jerusalem in 586. After
Solomon‘s reign, Israel divided into two kingdoms,
Israel to the north and Judah in the south. In the north
20 rulers represented 9 dynasties during the 210
years from the division of the kingdom until the fall of
Samaria in 722–721 BC. In the southern kingdom
there were also 20 rulers, all descendants of David,
spanning a period of 345 years.
This account of Israel‘s kings is not like reading a
modern history book. The author views their story
through the lens of God‘s covenant with his people.
The welfare of Israel and its leaders depends on their
trust in God, obedience to his laws and giving attention
to the prophets.
Therefore, the kings who receive the most attention
are those whose disobedience is greatest or who truly
follow God. Ahab is an example of the former (16:29—
22:39). His reign is mentioned, not because of its
political importance, but due to his unfaithfulness to
God. Manasseh (2Ki 21:1–18) is a similar example
from the southern kingdom. On the other side,
Hezekiah (2Ki 18:1—20:21) and Josiah (2Ki 22:1—
23:29) are recorded as kings who renewed the
covenant.
All of this suggests that the book was written to show
those in exile the consequences of breaking God‘s
covenant. By bringing the exile upon his people, God‘s
warning of the consequences of disobedience is
fulfilled for both kingdoms (cf Dt 28:64–68). However,
this does not mean that there is no hope for the
future.
Sunday 26th No service today
January 10.30am service each Sunday, details to be confirmed
Regular Meetings Mondays 5-6pm Trailblazers Children's Club
Tuesday afternoons 1.30-2.45pm First Steps, for babies and pre-school children with their
parents and carers, during term time
Wednesday 7.30-9pm ‗Drop-in‘ Centre for teenagers
Fridays 5-6.30pm monthly. Friday Church, usually meets on the first Friday of the
month.
P AGE 6
December Sunday 5 tj 2nd Sunday of Advent 10.30am Family Service. Mr Nik Stevenson
Sunday 12th 10.30am Holy Communion. Rev James Jasper
2-4pm Messy Church
Sunday 19th 10.30am Carol service. Rev Andrew de Ville
6pm Carols by Candlelight at St Thom‘as‘ Church
Tuesday 21st 1.30-3pm Make‘n‘take Christmas all age crafts
Friday 24th—Christmas Eve 3pm Crib Service at St Thomas‘ Church
11.30pm Midnight Communion at St Thomas‘ Church
Saturday 25th, Christmas Day 10am Family Celebration with Steve and Jo Medley at St
Thomas‘ Church
KERESLEY VILLAGE COMMUNITY CHURCH SERVICES
What’s the Big Idea? - An Introduction to the Books of the Old and New Testaments: 1 & 2 Kings, Galatians
and Ephesians
In the final four verses of the book, Jehoiachin‘s
release from prison in Babylon and his elevation to a
place of honour is recorded (2Ki 25:27–30). The
future remains open for God to fulfill his promise to
the house of David. ‗We begin to realise that if God‘s
sovereignty is never cancelled out by the so deeply
sin-flawed leaders (‗kings‘) in both our culture and
our church, we can quite cheerfully exult in God‘s
sovereignty as it is being exercised in all the
circumstantial details of the actual present‘ (E
Peterson).
Galatians It‘s easy to see how religion can be used to control
people‘s lives! Paul‘s letter to the Galatians has
been described as the ‗Magna Carta of Christian
Liberty‘, because it emphasizes the freedom that we
can know through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul
vigorously defends the essential truth that people
are justified (‗made right with God‘) by faith in Jesus
Christ alone. Our standing with God is not
determined by what we do, but by dependence on
what God has done by the grace and power of Christ
and the Holy Spirit.
The date and destination of Paul‘s letter are
disputed. One view holds that Paul wrote this letter
in the mid 50s to the churches in north-central Asia
Minor that he visited on his second missionary
journey. More generally, it‘s believed that he wrote it
in 48/9 to the churches in the southern area of
Galatia, which he planted on his first missionary
journey. In this case the letter would have been
written before the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15),
making it the earliest of Paul‘s letters.
However, there is general agreement about the
problem Paul is dealing with in Galatia. When he left
(Continued on page 7)
OUR COMMUNITY P AGE 7 OUR COMMUNITY P AGE 7
Regular Activities in the Church Hall NB the Church Hall is not usually available for late night
Discos
Pre-school Playgroup:
Mondays to Fridays, 9am - 11.30am and 12.30pm –
3pm
Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts meet on
weekday evenings. See page 2 for details.
PARISH REGISTER
THANKSGIVING 20th November
Harry Peter Jacob Viner
and Alexander Blue Alfie Viner
Isobel Leigh Heritage
BURIALS 25th November:
Pamela Jean Troth aged 79 of Rupert Road
WEDDING 3rd December:
Stephen Christopher Garrett and Rachel Woodward
the new converts, Jewish-Christians (or Judaizers)
advocating ceremonial practices of the Jewish law,
including circumcision, in addition to the cross of
Christ as a means of salvation. They also
undermined Paul's authority as an apostle, by
asserting that he had not been trained by Jesus
and that his gospel did not agree with the original
apostles in Jerusalem.
In response, Paul defends his apostolic authority
and presents the true gospel, by emphasising the
unique importance of Christ and his cross as God's
means of salvation. He argues that ‗a person is
justified not by the works of the law but through
faith in Jesus Christ‘ (2:16). He employs a variety
of arguments, appealing especially to the example
of Abraham (3:6-9) and the difference between
Hagar and Sarah (4:21-31), interpreted as a
contrast between being a ‗slave‘ under the law and
‗free‘ in Christ.
Therefore, a key verse in the letter says, ‗It is for
freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery.‘ (5:1). It is by grace through
faith alone that people are justified, and it is by
faith alone that they are to live out their new life in
the freedom of the Spirit.
(Continued from page 6)
Ephesians Paul‘s letter the Ephesians has been described as ‗the
divinest composition of man‘ (ST Coleridge). Paul wrote
the letter around AD 60, while in prison at Rome. It
lacks his usual personal greetings and doesn't directly
address any particular problems in the church.
Therefore, it was probably a circular letter to be read in
the house churches of Ephesus and western Asia Minor
(now Turkey).
Paul founded the church at Ephesus over a period of
three years (Acts 19:1-20:1), from about 52 to 55 AD.
Ephesus was the leading city and commercial centre in
the region, famous for its temple to the goddess
Artemis (Diana), one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world. The practice of sorcery was connected
with the worship of Diana and so the city was also a
centre of magic arts.
Paul‘s aim in writing his letter was to help his readers
understand the dimensions of God‘s purpose and grace
for them and his eternal plan for the church. The
believers were largely converts from a Greek
environment; they needed to understand Christ's
Lordship and their status ‗in Christ‘, as well as
encouragement to live a lifestyle worthy of Christianity.
They also needed to appreciate the Jewish heritage of
their faith. Ephesians is a letter of two halves; chapters
1-3 concern theological issues, while chapters 4-6 deal
with the practical outworking of the Christian faith.
Having shown God‘s purpose for the church, Paul
shows how God has reconciled individuals to himself as
an act of grace (2:1–10). He has reconciled people to
each other in one body, the church, having broken
down the barriers through Christ‘s death (2:11–22).
This is the ‗mystery‘ fully revealed by Paul (3:1–13). He
goes on to show how Christ‘s gifts promote unity and
maturity (4:1–16). The believer‘s new life stands in
contrast to the old way of life without Christ (4:17—
6:20).
The great overarching theme of the letter is that we are
rescued by God not just for our personal benefit, but to
bring praise and glory to him in our lives. For God‘s
purpose is clear: ‗He thought of everything, provided for
everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the
plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out
before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which
everything would be brought together and summed up
in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on
planet earth.‘ (1:9,10 The Message) I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow