bridgnorth church of england

Alleviating poverty in Bangladesh

2009-04-30T10:11:00.003+01:00

Ratankandi is a thin, sandy strip of an island that sits in what is known in Bangladesh as the Jamuna river and in India as the Ganges. Every year the island floods and the 100 families living on it know that it is only a matter of time before Ratankandi is washed entirely away. They are among the poorest people in the country.
But 40 women among them now work for a thriving company called Hathay Bunano (translates as hand-made) that sells hand-knitted baby clothes and toys to customers in Europe, Australia and the US.
A nearby primary school is the only regular service that the government provides for them. There is no electricity, no clinic and only one very simple little kiosk-shop.
On average, the several million people living on Bangladesh's river-islands, known as chars, are forced by the destructive power of the river to move home at least five times in their lives.

The work is done in a simple, one-roomed tin building that Hathay Bunano rents from a villager. The women sit on the floor, some with their babies beside them, and knit the different products.
Hathay Bunano employs more than 3,500 women across Bangladesh
Their quirky designs are winning more and more customers abroad. At the moment the women are working on finger puppets of animals, rattles that look like biscuits and large, soft, red-square robots.
The decision to work on Ratankandi island was made by Hathay Bunano's British-Bangladeshi founders, Samantha and Gollum Morshed.
They felt that if we could create export quality products in the middle of nowhere, where there is no electricity and no other services, they could create these products anywhere.
"We have chosen to work in rural areas and some of the hardest areas of Bangladesh in order to provide employment for people who really need it. We believe very strongly that the most effective way of alleviating poverty in this country is by creating employment."
So far, they have been amazingly successful. Hathay Bunano began operations with a tiny investment of $400 and 12 trainees in December 2004.
It now has a healthy and growing turnover and employs more than 3,500 women at 32 sites across Bangladesh.
The Morsheds are confident of weathering the global economic storm as orders are still coming in.
All profits are put back into the company and the women can earn 25% more than the Bangladesh legal minimum. They are also able to spend their earnings in their own villages, where it will really help.
By comparison, most of the five million workers employed in Bangladesh's thriving garment export industry have had to leave their rural homes to work in the factories.
They spend a large chunk on the wages on paying rents, even though most end up in slums.
The Morsheds believe their business model - of taking jobs into the countryside - is a more effective way of tackling poverty. They also think their approach has a more sustainable future than that of non-governmental organisations, which rely on handouts.
"Unless you make a profit I think it is impossible to help people in a long-term sustainable way. The strength of our organisation is that regardless of whether we receive any donations we will sustain and continue to grow," Samantha Morshed says.

Archbishop urges parents re-think

2009-04-21T14:23:00.004+01:00

Attitudes towards parenting need a radical re-think, the Archbishop of Wales has said.
In a speech to the Church in Wales' governing body in Llandudno, Dr Barry Morgan said parents must work hard to spend quality time with their children.

He said: "In our busyness and self-absorption we have simply lost sight of the big picture."
Dr Morgan said children were facing "huge social problems" and growing up in a society which fostered "greed".
Parents should be given help and advice to support them through difficult times, Dr Morgan added.

Dr Morgan said: "The recession is not something we can lay at the door of 'them' - the drunken youngsters, unmarried mothers, knife-carrying youths, anti-social gangs..."
"Its causes well and truly belong to 'us' - comfortable Britain."

Parents may know the "real needs" of children, said Dr Morgan, but "frequently refuse to recognise that these often come at a personal cost to our own needs and desires - be they compromises in our earning capacity or career development, or commitment to work at a relationship.
Children are the "responsibility of both parents", who should work hard to prevent family break-ups, he said.

Dr Morgan, 62, who is married with two children, stressed: "I am not saying that a woman's place is in the home. Fathers are no less important than mothers in a child's life.
"Nor am I saying that parents must stay together at all costs.
"Where there is a high level of conflict that cannot be resolved, or an abusive relationship, the child would obviously be better served if the parents separate."

He said children and young people are facing "huge social problems", exacerbated by the credit crunch, because they are growing up in a society that fosters "greed and individualism".

Turning to sex education, Dr Morgan said: "We have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe."
He said that schoolchildren should be taught about the commitment and responsibility involved in parenting, alongside education about sex and contraception.
Dr Morgan said: "We need to be teaching these basic concepts, as well as parent-craft, from an early age.
"Particularly to those who have not experienced it first hand, and not simply informing them about the mechanics of a sexual relationship and contraception divorced from the basic concepts of love, responsibility and self-respect."

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Synod to discuss woman bishops

2009-02-09T10:51:00.001Z

The governing body of the Church of England is to open a meeting which will consider how to introduce women bishops to the Church.
The decision to ordain women as bishops has already been made in principle, but the Synod will consider specific plans.
This will include a system of male alternatives for parishes which reject oversight from a woman.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster is also to address members on relations between the two churches.
The Synod decided last summer to press ahead with the ordination of women bishops, angering traditionalists by denying them the legal right to opt out of the control of a woman bishop and into special dioceses headed by male alternatives.
However, a draft law to be discussed this week would provide for male "complementary" bishops, to look after parishes unwilling to accept a woman.
Some traditionalist clergy say they will join the Catholic Church if they are not given sufficient exemptions from serving under women bishops.
When he addresses the Synod, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, is expected to express his regret about divisions in the Church of England.
The cardinal is expected to say that Catholics need a united Anglican Church to work for shared Christian aims in Britain.

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

Church response to the recession

2009-02-07T15:34:00.002Z

The Church of England General Synod is preparing for a special debate next week on the causes and the impact of the recession. Many parishes have seen a big increase in people looking for help.

Already churches are including the growing levels of unemployment in their weekly and daily prayers.
The subject is mentioned in sermons. It will not be long when every one of us will know a friend, relative or neighbour whose life would be devastated by the impact of the recession.

Is the church becoming a greater focal point in these recessional times?
It might be the loss of employment, the lack of income from savings or even the total loss of savings altogether.
So what are we to do?
We need to be vigilant
Churches are well placed both geographically and socially, in the communities where they exist, to get to know fairly quickly who and how local people have been affected.
Their response is critically important.
A great deal more emphasis on pastoral care and support by both lay and ordained members of churches needs to be put into action; ready to visit, listen, advise and help those badly affected.
The age of proclamation has gone.

It is out on the street that the Pastors can really make a difference
The new imperative for churches of all dominations, is to engage in incarnational ministry; the kind of ministry established by Christ Himself.
By going to where the people are, in the market places, the workplace, hospitals, schools etc; church members will find plenty of individuals in need of support and help.

England's Church

2008-12-18T16:08:00.004Z

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said separating the Church from the state would not be "the end of the world". Dr Rowan Williams said there would be benefits in the disestablishment of the Church of England. There was a "certain integrity" in decisions made by the Church not having to be "nodded through by Parliament afterwards". But he rejected the idea of a disestablished Church in England in the near future.

Establishment of the Church of England - with the Queen at its head and the prime minister responsible for senior appointments - gives it special influence denied to other Churches but it also means laws passed by its governing synod have to be confirmed by Parliament.

Dr Williams, a former Archbishop of Wales, where the Church is disestablished, said: "I can see that it's by no means the end of the world if the establishment disappears. "The strength of it is that the last vestiges of state sanction disappeared, so when you took a vote at the Welsh synod, it didn't have to be nodded through by Parliament afterwards. There is a certain integrity to that."
He said he would oppose disestablishment if it was motivated by secularists "trying to push religion into the private sphere".

"I believe the Church exists because of God, not because of the state," he said.
"At the moment the Church of England is in its established position, a helpful umbrella for other faith organisations, a foot in the door of secular society, and I'd be very loathe to lose that.
"I think society would lose from it as well."

Church of England said: "The government has repeatedly stressed the value it places on the establishment of the Church of England as something valued by people of all faiths and none.
"The Church is honoured to perform this service to the nation, which embraces a wide range of aspects - from the parish system and bishops in the House of Lords, to church schools and helping the nation mark important events."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7789192.stm

http://anglosaxonanglicans.org/origins/cofe.htm

http://www.anglican.org/index.html

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Christmas isn't like it used to be

2008-12-17T14:08:00.005Z

We can trace the history of Christmas back to Saturnalia, the Roman festival where everything was turned on its head. The slave would act the master and vice versa. Presents were exchanged within families.

If we go on to the Middle Ages we would find a Christmas that differed from the Victorian vision.

Victorians romanticised childhood and put them at the centre of things.

Pre-Victorian Christmases were social in the wider sense - less the nuclear family, more adult, more convivial. It wasn't so family centred it could be wilder instead of this wonderful sweet celebration at home. You might go to a special church service and drink at the tavern.

The rise to dominance of Puritanism during the English Civil War led to a period of sporadic assaults on the Christmas tradition. When Puritans opposed Christmas they felt the partying had taken over.

By the end of the 18th Century, Christmas had declined in importance as a holiday. But in the 19th Century it enjoyed a resurgence in Britain that spread across the Atlantic and helped shape the way much of the world celebrates it today. Charles Dickens played a big part in it, setting out in his novels a vision of Christmas that people could re-engage with.

Although many would say Dickens was the inventor of the Victorian Christmas, he based it very much on the 18th Century - stagecoaches in snowy lanes, jovial landlords, squires giving presents to the poor and presiding over groaning tables.

One of the key aspects for us about Christmas is a break from work - a couple of weeks for the luckiest. But in Victorian times Christmas Day was often just another day of grimy toil.

And there were plenty of new traditions. The tree, the turkey, Christmas cards and crackers all came to a prominent place in the celebrations.

Many believe it was Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, who first brought the German Christmas tree concept to Britain. The idea of a fir tree festooned with decorations and candles did not immediately catch on, having to wait until its enthusiastic adoption by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Turkey had been in the country for centuries, but only in the 19th Century started to make its journey to Christmas meal, finally achieved after World War II.

If there is one significant element that truly can be said to have been lost from the Christmas experience it is the exhortations to a personal brand of charity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7783277.stm

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Give a special present this Christmas - Give blood

2008-12-16T13:11:00.002Z

The age limit which prevents regular blood donors from continuing to give blood beyond their 70th birthday has been scrapped.

There are currently 1.414 million registered blood donors in the UK, with one in ten aged 60 or above.The age limit on blood donations was raised from 65 to 70 in 1998.An age limit was put in place as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the donor, but recent evidence from other blood services has shown no harm to donors over the age of 70.

People who have donated in the last two years will be able to continue giving as long as they meet selection rules.

Age Concern, said: "Many older blood donors will welcome the news that their age will no longer prevent them from donating blood, allowing them to continue contributing to this vital service."The change to National Blood Service rules is a great example of how breaking down age barriers brings huge benefits, not only to older people, but society in general."We hope it will encourage other organisations to look carefully at their policies and ensure they don't unnecessarily exclude people because of their age."

Earlier this year some people with diabetes and high blood pressure were cleared to donate blood for the first time.A committee of experts ruled it was safe for these groups to give blood, even if they are taking medication to control their condition.

NHS Blood and Transplant is also asking individuals of all ages to donate blood over Christmas, when supplies often come under intense pressure.On average, the blood services across the UK need 8,200 donations each day to keep up stocks.Blood does not keep for long and so the blood services need to have sufficient stocks to meet demand for between nine and 10 days.

The National Blood Service is not to be confused with the National Health Service.We are an integral part of the NHS, and we guarantee to deliver blood, blood components, blood products and tissues from our 15 blood centres to anywhere in England and North Wales.Naturally, we also ensure that the blood we supply is properly screened and is safe for patients. Every year we collect, test, process, store and issue 2.1 million blood donations. We depend entirely on voluntary donations from the general public, and try to encourage our existing donors to give three times a year. (It's amazing what the promise of a free cup of tea and some biscuits will do...)

The minimum age is 17, and you can book online for a centre near you at a convenient time. Donor sessions are held in halls in villages as well as in towns and the permanent centres such as Birmingham. Check out

www.blood.co.uk for more info or call 0845 7 711 711.

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Christian group's poetry protest

2008-12-11T13:17:00.002Z

How far should we go - are we willing to go - to protect christianity?

Around 250 Christian activists are protesting outside the Welsh assembly building during a poetry reading.
Patrick Jones was invited by two assembly members to read from his collection Darkness Is Where The Stars Are, which has already led to claims it is "obscene and blasphemous".
Mr Jones was "shocked" by the turnout but said it was good for free speech.

Stephen Green, director of Christian Voice, said: "This turnout shows the strength of feeling of people."
Protesters sang hymns and some held placards before the ticket-only event inside the Senedd building.
Mr Green added: We're seeing the Christian faith attacked on all sides."
"Now it's under attack in a seat of government in the UK."
Nick Bourne, leader of the Welsh Conservatives was at the demonstration, and was asked if he was showing his support.
He replied: "Yes, essentially."
"Our group opposed this {reading] at the home of Welsh democracy, promoting something which is anti-Christian and we would say that if it was any recognised religion."

Mr Jones was asked by Labour AM Lorraine Barrett and Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black, who said he wanted to make sure the poet was not "gagged".
"I think this is a good day for democracy. We've head both sides - Patrick has had his poetry reading and it's also important for people to be able to make their views known."
One of the poems that has offended Christians, called Hymn, includes a reference to Mary Magdalene having sex with Jesus.

Mr Jones is the brother of Nicky Wire, of the Manic Street Preachers.
A books-signing launch event was cancelled at a Cardiff branch of Waterstone's last month after an earlier protest was planned.
He signed copies of the collection of 30 to 40 poems in the street instead.
Mr Jones, who has said he is "really proud" of the book said after the protest: "I was really shocked at the turnout and I think that's healthy for democracy but I don't think many of them have read the poem.
"A bit of a moral panic has been created but what happened at Waterstone's set a dangerous precedent."
He insisted he had not singled out Christianity in his poems, but was questioning beliefs in society.

Mr Green said: "I didn't want to get party political about this, but I've had a number of letters of support from members of the assembly.
"The Conservative group has come out against this locally and many Plaid Cymru members have too.
"I am not taking sides, I'm just telling it how it is."

http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/index.html

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

Keeping the house warm

2008-12-10T14:14:00.010Z

A neighbour told me that because I was over 70 I’d be able to get free loft insulation but they had no idea how to go about getting it.

I lead an active life — I’m never bored — but since retiring I’ve spent more time at home and I’ve noticed the bills go up.

I called the Home Heat Helpline and ask about the free insulation. I got through straightaway. It all happened very quickly. I got put through to my energy supplier and they made an appointment to come and do a survey.

Just five weeks after calling the Home Heat Helpline we’ve had 11 inch thick insulation put in the loft. I’ve already noticed a difference.

When we had the insulation done we thought of our friend Ida and her husband. Ida must be nearly 80 now and doesn’t get out much. She lives in quite an old house and I know she spends a lot on heating because she’s at home all day.

She has trouble on the phone so we called the Home Heat Helpline for her and got a survey done in no time at all.

It’s so easy, I’d advise everyone to call them.”

To chat to a specially trained advisors call us for FREE on 0800 33 66 99. If you have difficulty hearing you can use the minicom service on 0800 027 2122.

They can advise you on benefits, grants for free home insulation, reduced tariffs and special payment options your energy supplier provides to help those struggling with their fuel bills.

You can call yourself, on behalf of a relative or to help out a friend, patient, client or neighbour that you’re worried about.

The Home Heat Helpline is open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm on Saturdays — and it won’t cost you penny to ring, it’s free.

It can be tough trying to find out if you qualify for special grants and services to help you save money on your heating bills. Just finding the right number to ring or the best person to talk to can take up a lot of time. But that’s where the Home Heat Helpline comes in.

If you’re struggling to pay your fuel bill or worried how you’re going to stay warm, the Home Heat Helpline will make it easier for you to find the answers.

Anyone can phone us for FREE on 0800 33 66 99 and talk to our team of friendly expert advisors – many of them are ex-nurses and social workers so they know how important your call is.
We can provide you with straightforward, clear information on benefits and grants and give you advice on making your home more energy efficient.

We work alongside dozens of welfare organizations as well as all six major energy suppliers so we know what services and options there are for people who need help — from grants for free home insulation and winter rebates to flexible payment plans and benefit entitlement checks. The following services are available from every energy supplier:

The Priority Service Register — a special service for elderly or disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions that includes bills in easy-to-read larger text or in Braille, as well as security passwords and a free annual gas safety check.

The disconnection safety net which prevents vulnerable customers from being cut off if they can’t pay their bills on time.

Grants for free home insulation

Reduced tariffs (sometimes known as social tariffs), trust fund grants or winter rebates.

Depending on your needs we will either help you directly or put you straight through to the right person at your energy provider.

It makes sense to find out what you’re entitled to. The Home Heat Helpline is here to help, so make that call.

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

St Nicholas, meet Santa Claus

2008-12-08T19:17:00.005Z

Meant to do this blog before St Nicholas on 6 December, but exhaustion from over-enthusiastically helping Santa at Arley prevented it. Hope it doesn't diminish its interest - and it's still relevant to discover the origin and historical development of St Nicholas...St Nick...Santa Claus (which took several centuries).

The tradition of Saint Nicholas Day, usually on 6 December, is a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts.

The American Santa Claus, as well as the Anglo-Canadian and British Father Christmas, derive from these legends.

"Santa Claus" is itself derived from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. The Sinterklaas feast celebrates the birthday of Saint Nicholas (280-342), patron saint of children. Saint Nicholas was a God of Myra in present-day Turkey.

Sinterklaas has a long white cape, wears a white bishop's dress and white mitre (bishop's hat), and holds a crosier, a long black coloured staff with a fancy curled top. He carries a big book with information about all the children, whether they have been good or naughty in the past year.

Traditionally, in the weeks between his arrival and the 5th of December, before going to bed children put their shoes next to the chimney of the coal fired stove or fireplace, or, in modern times, next to the central heating, with a carrot or some hay in it and a bowl of water "for Sinterklaas's horse," and sing a Sinterklaas song; the next day they will find some candy or a small present in their shoes, supposedly thrown down the chimney by Sinterklaas.

http://familyfeastandferia.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/reading-material-for-the-feast-of-st-nicholas/

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=458

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Advent imagery - the wreath

2008-12-04T15:48:00.007Z

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple.

This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. Purple is still used in Catholic churches.

The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This points to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death.

The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh" and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through his suffering, death, and resurrection.

To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent.

In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice").

The shift from the purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday Advent candles reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season.

There is evidence of pre-Christian Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles during the cold and dark December days as a sign of hope in the future warm and extended-sunlight days of Spring. In Scandinavia during Winter, lighted candles were placed around a wheel, and prayers were offered to the god of light to turn “the wheel of the earth” back toward the sun to lengthen the days and restore warmth.

By the Middle Ages, the Christians adapted this tradition and used Advent wreathes as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.

After all, Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin and to radiate the truth and love of God (cf. John 3:19-21). By 1600, both Catholics and Lutherans had more formal practices surrounding the Advent wreath.

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

International Day of Disabled Persons: Raising the profile of disability and development

2008-12-03T11:19:00.004Z

Did you know that 10% to 20% of people around the world are disabled? Too often their freedoms are restricted - and their potential overlooked.

To encourage more people to think about and act on the issues facing disabled people, in 1992 the United Nations observed the first ever International Day of Disabled Persons. It's been taking place on 3 December ever since.

The Department for International Development (DFID) is the part of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.

They are headed by a Cabinet minister, one of the senior ministers in the Government. This reflects how important the Government sees reducing poverty around the world. They have two headquarters (in London and East Kilbride, near Glasgow) and 64 offices overseas. They also have over 2500 staff, almost half of whom work abroad.

Disability is a human rights issue. So long as people with disabilities are denied the opportunity to participate fully in society, no one can claim that the objectives of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been achieved." Bengt Lindqvist, UN Special Rapporteur on Disability.

There are many organisations working towards raising the profile of disability within development.
They include the the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union, World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and Voluntary Service Overseas which are all working to prevent disability and ensure that disabled people enjoy equal opportunities in their communities and schools.

http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=109

http://www.handicap-international.org.uk/page_384.php

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/devawareness/disability-day-lead.asp

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

Giving blood

2008-12-02T11:35:00.004Z

An appeal for more platelet donors has been made by the National Blood Service as supplies fall to their lowest level over the Christmas period.

Platelets are very small cells that work as the body's clotting agent.
The supplies need to be constantly renewed as they only have have a five-day shelf-life.

They are life-saving treatment for many critically ill patients, notably cancer sufferers undergoing chemotherapy and for unborn babies needing transfusions.

Platelets are made in the bone marrow and released into the bloodstream in the same way as red blood cells.

If a blood vessel is damaged, platelets will become 'glued' together at the site of the damage to form a platelet plug.

Collecting platelets is a specialised process in which the blood is filtered, the platelets collected, and the remaining blood returned to the donor.

They can be donated more frequently than whole blood donations because no red cells are taken, which ensures the body's iron levels remain unaffected.

Platelets given by donors can help up to three adults or 12 children.

Alex Thomas, 21 - bellringer and occasional crucifer, is proud to give blood, and tries to beat his time record each four-monthly visit. As an O neg blood group, he's chuffed to be 'special' in that his blood can be given to anyone in an emergency. Hopefully, he'll qualify to give platelets, too.

His mum used to give blood but now can't, being on restricting medication, but she does her bit by putting up posters - and transporting Alex! Adam looks forward to being able to give blood, when he gets to 16, next April. Dad, Chris, will now go back to giving blood having cleared his malaria vaccination restriction.

Can you, or someone you know, start giving blood - and even platelets? It's something that costs only time, and can save a life.

Read some stories here https://secure.blood.co.uk/e21cases.asp#brett

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

Advent calendar

2008-12-01T21:21:00.007Z

Here is Liz Roberts' lovely advent calendar, now in use in our family kitchen. We also have an 'open the windows' variety, with a stable scene, so we are well set up to watch the days passing.

The December-January magazine Cross Link is now out - and with it the retirement of Avril as its editor (though not, as has been rumoured, from the team office - she says it takes more than handing over the magazine to get rid of her!).

Avril told me she originally agreed to do the magazine for six months - quite some years ago! Thank you, Avril, for all your efforts - and I know you'll find something else to fill the time...

Today is World Aids Day. The number of people living with HIV is continuing to rise in every part of the world - including in the UK. HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system - the body's defence against diseases. There are now 33 million people living with HIV worldwide and 80,000 people living with HIV in the UK. Our prayers today are asked for them, their families and friends, and those who care for them.

http://www.bridgnorth-anglican.org/

Castle Hall

2008-11-28T13:02:00.004Z

The Town Council organise a Charities Fair on the last Saturday in November each year. Local charitable organisations are given the opportunity to site a stall in the Castle Hall to sell various items of produce.

Ann Clarke and her team will be setting up their stall for the church, selling the remaining bric a brac and books from the harvest fayre, and home-made cakes which are always popular.

The Castle Hall was originally the Catholic Apostolic Church built in 1850 in the Gothic style, but in 1970 the original window was blocked and the façade was replaced with a flat-roofed block of machine-made brick.

Now, the Town Council own the Hall as a large community facility It's licensed for wedding ceremonies and there is a purpose-built wedding room for the occasion. Additionally, there is a large hall with a stage and dance floor, bar, large fully equipped kitchen available for the use of caterers and a coffee lounge which has a self-contained kitchen area. The first floor of this building has been converted for use as a nursery school with two classrooms and toilet facilities. The nursery has use of the main hall for activities when there are no alternative bookings.
The Senior Citizens’ Day Centre use this facility three days per week and other day-time activities include short mat bowling, children’s gymnastics and dancing classes.The hall is available for private and group functions and the bar is run on a franchise system.

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

The Bible - and its alternatives

2008-11-27T13:07:00.000Z

Type 'the bible' into Google and you'll get 38,800,000 links, and 397 sponsored (ie paid for) links. Google helpfully suggests other searches you can try, related to 'the bible', to narrow down the possibilities, such as 'facts about the bible', 'king james bible', 'the bible for children', 'history of the bible', 'bible quotes', and 'the new testament'.

Limit your search to pages from the UK, and you'll get 1,580,000 links, and, intriguingly, 402 sponsored (paid for) links. Also extra on the UK result are two further suggestions to narrow your search; 'who wrote the bible', and 'the old testament'.

If you want an image of 'the bible', you've got 162,000 to choose from, and Google also suggests you search for an image using 'the holy bible', to narrow things down.

But what hadn't occurred to me until I read a piece of the BBC News website today, by Stephen Tomkins, is that there are loads of 'alternative' bibles, aiming to serve all needs and inclinations. He described a new edition, 'The Illuminated Bible', thus:

"Most people think of the Bible as a densely printed book with no pictures, but a version of the scripture that resembles a glossy coffee table magazine aims to change that. It's part of a wave of radical presentations of the Bible, including a manga version and a Lego gospel. But how do Christians feel about these attempts to spread the word?
It's the kind of magazine you might find in a doctor's waiting room next to Cosmopolitan or Reader's Digest. On the front is a pale face heavy with mascara. A flick through throws up striking images: urban flooding, a Nigerian abattoir, a girl eating noodles, a pooch in a limo.
It's only when and if you get round to reading the text that the incongruity strikes you: "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven." What kind of problem page is this?

BIBLE VERSION HISTORY
382: Jerome commissioned to tackle Latin Vulgate translation
1382: Wyclif's Bible, translations of Vulgate scripture into Middle English start to appear
1455: Gutenberg prints Bible using movable type
1522: Martin Luther translates New Testament into German
1526: Tyndale's English New Testament printed

Bible Illuminated is the latest attempt to bring the Bible into the modern world. In the format of a 300-page glossy magazine, it contains the whole text of the New Testament in a popular translation, with no chapter or verse numbers.
The images are by turns beautiful, violent, oblique and provocative - much like the book itself.
The text "She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus" is illustrated with a veiled Muslim.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is intrigued by the Manga Bible.
What he sees in the Bible is a profitable chance for people to look again at their world. "We are all affected by it," he says. "Morals are based on it, rightly or wrongly, government, laws. I'm saying to people: this is your history, read it.
"It's the most sold book in the world, but the least known. I want to take it off the shelves and put it on the coffee table."
It's the kind of thing that might provoke tuts and headshaking in the pews, one imagines. "Some people will feel it's dumbing down," says David Ashford of the Bible Society, an organisation that exists to "make the Bible heard". "How can it be the Bible when it's got Angelina Jolie in it?"

The Brick Testament is not exactly reverent. He, however, welcomes it with open arms. "You have to understand that what we think of as the traditional serious-looking leather-bound Bible is actually a relatively new format. In the Middle Ages, picture books - with people in contemporary dress - were the way most people read the Bible.
"At first the Bible was a collection of scrolls, then illustrated handwritten volumes. When printing was invented they were produced in Latin with pictures. Later they were published in plain closely printed text, in the common language, to get them into as many people's hands as cheaply as possible."

So, ironically, Soederberg's attempt to popularise the Bible by getting away from its traditional format is exactly what the people who created that format were doing.

If you're looking for an alternative way into the Bible, there's no shortage of versions to choose from.

In The Manga Bible, the British Christian Ajin-bayo Akinsiku, known as Siku, tells the whole story in the form of a graphic novel. Cain says to Abel, "Whassup, bro?" Noah loads animals onto the ark, saying, "That's 11,344 animals? Arggh! I've lost count again. I'm going to have to start from scratch!" Christ strides out of the desert like a Marvel superhero.
It skimps on some of the less bloodthirsty episodes like the sermon on the mount, but Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is a fan, liking the way it conveys "the shock and freshness of the Bible".

Former archbishop George Carey gave a thumbs up to the Cockney Bible
The rhyming slang version of the Bible was written by Mike Coles, an RE teacher in Stepney, and started life as stories he told to his classes. In it, Jesus feeds "five thousand geezers" with "five loaves of Uncle Fred and two Lillian Gish". The Lord's Prayer morphs from "For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory" to "You're the Boss, God, and will be for ever, innit?"

The Brick Testament online version by Brendan Powell Smith tells stories from the Bible using Lego. It started life in 2001 with stories from Genesis and today contains 391 stories with 4,214 illustrations. Though it is sometimes satirical or tongue-in-cheek, it is often used by churches and Sunday schools, and it's one of the versions that the Bible Society has welcomed as connecting people with the Bible in a new way.

And for the iPod generation, you can get the whole thing on your MP3 player, read and performed by a Hollywood cast, including Forest Whitaker as Moses, Cuba Gooding Jr as Jonah, and a possibly typecast Samuel L Jackson as God.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this new wave of Bibles is how sympathetic the church is to people messing about with its sacred scriptures, whether in wording or binding, no doubt reasoning that there can be some good in anything that gets people hearing its stories.

Read the whole article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7750842.stm

www.bridgnorth-anglican.org

Verger

2008-11-25T11:58:00.000Z

Set up the church for funerals. Set it up for weddings. Prepare the church for services. Is it a Communion service? If so have we supplied enough bread. Has the p.a. system been switched on? Is there a battery in the mike? Are the toilets clean? Have all doors, including fire doors, been opened? Is there water in the pulpit for the clergy , etc, etc.

Verger (Virger): A lay official who carries a symbol of office before church dignitaries; also one who is responsible for cleanliness and good order in the church.

The office of verger has its roots in the earliest days of Anglican history. In earlier years vergers were responsible for the order of the house of worship, including preparations for the liturgy, the conduct of the laity, the care of the church building, and often grave-digging. They led processions holding their verge (a device akin to the battle mace) to discourage animals and unruly folk from interfering with the processions.

The Verger Today. Although modern vergers no longer dig graves or have to deal with animals and unruly folk, the office has evolved into a ministry that clergy throughout the Episcopal Church have come to appreciate within their congregations. Vergers often relieve the clergy of the burden of liturgical detail so that they can concentrate on their priestly duties to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments. No longer found primarily in cathedrals and large parishes, vergers are assets to small churches as well.

The Verge. The verge is a staff that a verger carries in procession. The name comes from the Latin virga, which simply means a rod or staff; hence, a verger is one who carries a staff. The verge has a history originating in the ceremonial maces carried before civic and ecclesiastical dignitaries. The Maces of State used in the House of Lords and the House of Commons of the British Parliament as well as the maces carried in academic processions in colleges and universities both in Great Britain and in the United States are examples of other modern uses of the medieval symbols. Originally a weapon used to clear the way for processions, the verge's use is now principally honorific.

The Verger’s Vestments. The basic vestment of a verger is a black cassock or a white alb. In some places, especially cathedrals, the cassock or alb may be of another color. Over the cassock or alb, when performing a ceremonial function, the verger wears a sleeveless gown somewhat resembling a bishop’s chimere.
Verging is a strictly Anglican form of lay ministry. One seldom finds it practiced in other branches of the Church.

confirmation

2008-11-24T19:42:00.001Z

Welcome to the church family! It was wonderful to have the team confirmation service with so many new members being welcomed to our church family.

The church was full of family and friends to support our candidates - including some of our choir. Well done everyone - a beautiful service wonderfully led by our bishop, Anthony, and assisted by the Reverends Angela, Denise and Helen. We were so blessed, and hope our newly confirmed members enjoyed their special time.

What we now call confirmation was originally part of a wider ceremony of Christian initiation and only became a separate rite when bishops were no longer able to preside at all baptisms.
As a separate rite, confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey at which the participation in the life of God’s people inaugurated at baptism is confirmed by the bishop by the laying on of hands, and in which those who have been baptised affirm for themselves the faith into which they have been baptised and their intention to live a life of responsible and committed discipleship. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by the confirming bishop, the Church also asks God to give them power through the Holy Spirit to enable them to live in this way.

The Book of Common Prayer confirmation rite is brief. It consists of:
A declaration by the candidates that they renew the ‘solemn promise and vow’ made on their behalf at their baptisms. A prayer by the people led by the bishop asking that God will strengthen those who are confirmed with the Holy Spirit and that they will be given the sevenfold gifts of God’s grace mentioned in Isaiah 11:2.
The laying on of hands by the bishop with the words: ‘Defend. O Lord this thy child [or this thy servant] with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine for ever; and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit, more and more, until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom.’
Prayers led by the bishop in which it is asked that God’s Fatherly hand will be over the candidates, that His Holy Spirit will ever be with them and that they will be led by God to attain everlasting life.
Although the basic elements of the rite remain the same, The Common Worship Confirmation rite is longer and contains a number of additional elements:
It begins with the bishop asking the candidates to state whether they are ready to be baptised or have been baptised already and whether they are willing to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ. At this point candidates may be invited to give their testimony – a brief statement about how God has brought them to this point in their lives.
The bishop then asks the candidates to repeat the renunciation of the devil and all that is evil and the declaration of turning to Christ from the baptism service.
If there are any candidates who have not been baptised they are next baptised by the bishop. After this has taken place all the candidates join with the bishop and the rest of the congregation in reciting the Apostles’ Creed as an expression of the Christian faith into which they were baptised and which they are now affirming for themselves. They may then be signed or sprinkled with water as a reminder of their baptism and of their need to remain faithful to the commitment to God that their baptism involved.
Using words based on Isaiah 11:2, the bishop leads the people in praying for the Holy Spirit to rest upon those being confirmed and following this confirmation prayer the bishop addresses each candidate by name and says:
‘[Name] God has called you by name and made you his own.’
The bishop then lays his hand on the head of each candidate, saying
‘Confirm, O Lord, your servant [Name] with your Holy Spirit.’
Each candidate replies Amen..
When all have been confirmed in this way, the bishop invites the congregation to join with him in praying:
‘Defend, O Lord, these your servants with your heavenly grace,
that they may continue yours for ever,
and daily increase in your Holy Spirit more and more
until they come to your everlasting kingdom. Amen.’
The bishop may then use words of commissioning in which the candidates are able to express their determination, with the help of God, to live a life of Christian discipleship and the candidates may also be anointed with oil as an additional sign of their anointing by the Holy Spirit.

Quatford - our mother church

2008-11-21T12:03:00.000Z

Margaret Bradley is one of the church wardens at St Mary Magdalene at Quatford. She wrote this introduction piece for the welcoming service for our new curate.

Quatford is a village three miles south-east of Bridgnorth on the Kidderminster Road. The church is the oldest in the team, founded in 1086 and enlarged over the centuries. It has a wonderful atmosphere which is always remarked upon by visitors.

When I moved into Bridgnorth 19 years ago from a nearby village, I hadn't been to church for three years, my first lapse, but was asked by a friend to go to Quatford, and found such warmth and friendship there that I felt at home right away.

We are a small congregation week by week, but no visitor comes without receiving a warm welcome, even at Christmas carol service when the church is packed - no stranger goes unnoticed.

Our services are varied and aim to meet the spiritual needs of all. Come on the first Sunday of the month and you will find tambourines, maraccas and all sort of instruments in use. But the following week, there is a quieter atmosphere with communion from the Book of Common Prayer.

Our small, faithful congregation accept all services equally, and we have amazed ourselves, especially I think, at our vigorous playing of the tambourines!

We look forward to welcoming Helen when she comes to visit us at Quatford, and all wish her well. I would add that with our unique lift, there is no longer the necessity to climb the thirty-four steps to our door, which has been the lot of worshippers for centuries. The lift is proof of our intention to keep our church alive in the twenty-first century, as it was in the twelfth, to continue to share the warmth and friendship which welcomed me.

Messy Church

2008-11-20T13:23:00.000Z

Surely it's what anyone creative would want church to be like.

‘Messy Church’ is a mixture of games, art and craft, food, worship – and quite a lot of mess.

The monthly after-school event draws together children and adults for a new way of finding out about faith. They learn not by listening to someone telling them what to think, but by choosing which activities to do and discovering for themselves. It starts at the end of the school day. Children dash in to have a go at games and colouring laid out for them. Adults chat with them and with each other over Connect 4, Hungry Hippos and much-needed coffee.

When everyone is there, Messy Church starts properly. Around the room are tables, each of which features a different art or craft activity related to the theme, and each with a leader to help all-comers. Everyone chooses which activities they want to do, sometimes with the people they’ve come with, sometimes with friends or on their own and learn through cutting, pasting, creating and cooking. By the time they’ve finished, everyone - old and young - may be covered in paint, glue or dirt as they show off their exquisite items of craft.

Then there’s a short act of worship including songs, prayers and a short epilogue.

Finally there’s tea. A hot meal is an important part of Messy Church as it expresses the church’s hospitality and means parents don’t have to go home and cook. Pasta, potatoes with fillings, sausages, curries … everyone tries to guess what it’s going to be this time as the cooking smells fill the room. Many children and adults just love being messy, so that’s a real attraction for them! We take a lot of care thinking about activities that will be fun, but that will also have a point to them. And they learn so much more by actually doing these things rather than being told about them.

The Once-a-month Not-on-a-Sunday Messy Church!

Have you thought about going to church but Sundays just seem to be too busy?
Do you feel like you're a taxi service for your children as you take them from one activity to another?
Would you like to spend some quality time as a family while learning more about God?
Would you like to meet other families in your area?
Then Messy Church is just for you....

A relaxed and informal church with a warm welcome for the whole family with crafts, songs, drama, food - and plenty of opportunity to have fun and make a mess!
*Children - a place to meet new friends, learn new things
Mums, dads, grandads, grandmas - a place to spend quality time with your children and grandchildren and make links with other families
*Young people - with a pool table, music, table tennis and a chance to help younger brothers and sisters
The format
3.30pm - 4.30pm
Messy Craft - An hour of craft and other activities in the church hall
4.30pm - 4.45pm
Messy Worship - A short time of celebration in the church as we draw together everything we've been looking at today
4.45pm - 5.30pm
Messy Meal - No need to rush home to feed the family - relax and have a meal with us

There is no charge for Messy Church which is supported and run by local Christians from various churches in the neighbourhood, although donations are always gratefully received.

Will Messy Church come to Bridgnorth?

Bell Ringing

2008-11-19T17:43:00.000Z

Bell ringing is the ultimate team activity. By becoming a bell ringer, you join a tradition dating back 400 years.

Why learn to ring?

It's a great mental workout

You'll maintain a traditional skil

It's a service to the church

It's a team activity and you'll join a global group of friends

It's a lifelong learning experience

You could have the opportunity to visit amazing places

Once you've got the bug, it's hard to give up: 'I learnt to ring over forty years ago and I still get the same buzz that I did when I first started'.

What's Bell Ringing all about?

Bell ringing is a team activity that stimulates the brain and helps keep you fit.. it also makes a glorious sound! Many consider ringing to be thir contribution to church life; others do it for the pure pleasure it brings.

Ringers come from all walks of life and range in age from ten to those in their eighties.

'When I'm ringing I forget all the tensions and frustrations of the day. Even better, you couldn't wish for a nicer group of friends!'

Change Ringing

The origins of change ringing lie in the sixteenth century when church bells began to be hung with a full wheel. This gave ringers control of their bell, which allowed sets of bells (rings) to be rung in a continuously changing pattern.

Music is created by moving bells up and down the ringing order to a defined sequence of changes known as a method. Learning a few simple methods allows ringers to join in with other bands in towers around the world.

'One of the delights of change ringing is the endless opportunity to learn new things'.

Could you become a ringer?

'If you can ride a bicycle, you can ring!'

Ringing is well within the capabilities of most people. The initial teaching takes several weeks, after which a learner can begin to ring with the rest of the band. Most ringers practise once or twice a week and ring before or after church on Sundays.

'Being able to count is all the maths needed and you can become a very good ringer knowing nothing about music.'

At St Mary Magdalene in Bridgnorth, we have eight bells, the tenor being 8cwt. We regularly ring such methods as plain hunt and bob doubles; we practice Wednesday evenings, ring Sunday mornings, and are available for weddings! New ringers or trainees are welcome - we're a friendly bunch and you don't have to be a churchgoer.

If you'd like to visit the bell tower at St Mary Magdalene, or find out more about joining or learning, email mailbox@bridgnorth-anglican.org

Welcome

2008-10-29T11:37:00.001Z

Welcome to the blog of the Church of England in Bridgnorth, an historic market town straddling the River Severn in rural Shropshire, England.

To start off the blog, I'm listing several links which offer useful info and news.

http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/ is a website for thoughtful contributions to the proclamation of the gospel message. Here writers reflect on what it means to be a Christian, particularly in Britain today. Thinking Anglicans will actively report news, events and documents that affect church people, and will comment on them from a liberal Christian perspective.

http://www.bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk/static/page970.htm here is the link to the webcam overlooking the River Severn, for anyone who'd like to observe the changing weather and seasons.

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers/ is what is says on the tin - the Church of England's website page for daily prayers.

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/index.asp?id=65081 The Church Times attempts to provide balanced and fair reporting of events and opinions across the whole range of Anglican affairs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/news/include.shtml?christian and the BBC news site for religion

I hope to pursuade lots of different people in the church to contribute to the blog, but I'd better not name them yet, had I - don't want to warn them...!