COMPASS

Articles from September 2008 Magazine

• Letter from our Vicar
• Alpha
• Christian Aid Week
• Reflection on the Apprentice
• Incovenient Truth
• Stop Supermarkets Squeezing Farmers
• Soul Music
• Tuesday Club needs help

Vicar Ken writes..........

Everything is starting up again - its September. The busyness resumes; maybe it's also a time for starting to do new things: the diet, joining or rejoining the gym, learning Spanish, studying this or that, taking on a new hobby. Do you enjoy being busy? ' A lot of the time we do, but sometimes by November the enthusiasm wears off because the activity has taken over.

The Bible is an action-packed book. Churches are full of apparently endless activities. It's worth remembering at the beginning of another busy season why it is that we do what we do.
What's it for? Why do we do it?

"Be still and know that I am God" is a much-quoted saying from the Bible. But we know that stillness is not always easy to find. A real effort is needed to jump off the conveyor belt of going from one thing to another. To find space to rediscover who I am; to get in touch with myself again.

Notice it doesn't say about God at this point that he is doing anything. He just is who he is. In fact, one of the most startling revelations in the Bible is God having a conversation with Moses from the bush that kept burning. What did he say about himself? He said, "I am who I am". That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. God is apparently saying that he has been around in the past, will be in the future, and is now in the present (because no one knows what tense the verb °I am" is in this passage). And in being present now, he is available for people like Moses, and like you and me. He is there and he is here.
In the presence of God we discover even more fully who we are. In meeting him, we truly find ourselves. What do we discover about ourselves when we meet with God ? Well, certainly, we find that we are of great value to him, that we are loved and accepted, that we are unique and special ...... and that he has plans for us.

Our activity can flow out of that relationship, and in that activity we can find true fulfilment. One of the Psalms in the Bible (127) talks about it being useless to get up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat. Yes, I know we need to work hard to earn money to live, and that our work can be demanding, exhausting, and also very fulfilling at times. But it also says here "unless the Lord builds the house its builders labour in vain." What does this mean? Something, presumably, about how God can be involved in what we are doing, or how we can choose to live our lives without him. Being with God helps us to know who we are, and it also helps us to know what we should be doing. Jesus actually said that he only did what he saw the Father doing. When our activity flows out of that relationship with God there is a wonderful sense of God doing it with us. I'm not sure I know exactly what that means, but it sounds good and it sounds worth exploring!

Personally, I think it's a good idea to build time spent with God into our day. Finding ways to be still that suit us as individuals - a place, a time, space in our daily programme. Opening our lives to his presence; letting him speak to us through the Scriptures; finding ourselves by being with him. An oasis of refreshment and strength in the midst of a busy life
Be still and know that I am God.

Ken Shill

With love and best wishes

This !s whet the papers say:
"What Alpha offers, and what is attracting thousands of people, is permission, rare in secular culture, to discuss the big questions - life and death and their meaning." The Guardian, London

What distinguishes Alpha from other initiatives is the easy-going, relaxed feel of the proceedings - that, and its astonishing success." The Times, London

Many claim Alpha has changed their lives and appear genuinely happier for the experience." Time Magazine

Alpha is an unqualified triumph." The Daily Telegraph, London

Alpha makes Christianity relevant to modern life." The Express, London

This is what Jim from Kent said:
I do not come from a Christian background, I didn't even know anyone who was a Christian, so when a work colleague invited me to an Alpha supper I had to think about it for several weeks, because part of me was interested in why people go to Church but part of me was very wary. When I walked in on that first night, I thought the hall was going to be full of people who all had grey hair and looked like they were sucking on half a lemon. I couldn't believe it when I found the hall full of people of all ages and all backgrounds, I remember thinking I don't know why I was so worried about coming
( found the group discussion about the various Alpha talks each week a really good chance to learn. One of the bits that I personally liked was the fact that I could ask any questions and everyone was interested in them.
When I came on the course I thought they might try and get me on some sort of religious treadmill, but the Alpha course taught me that I could have a personal relationship with God, and that God was but a prayer away.

I went on the Alpha course with an open mind expecting nothing. I still find it hard to take on board the positive difference it's made to my life, marriage and family. The Alpha course helped me to look at myself as I really am, and helped me to love and respect other people, even those I considered not my type. Considering how reluctant I was to go, I actually found myself looking forward to the Alpha course each week.'

Want to know more?
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We have a new course beginning in September.

Watch this space for details '

Welcome to Christian Aid Week 2008
This is where you and thousands of people across Britain make a difference. With your time and generosity we hope to raise millions for the world's poor and oppressed. So please do something for Christian Aid Week. It doesn't matter how big or small your pledge is. Whatever you do, do something.
Last year many of you kindly volunteered to collect door to door resulting in a record collection from St Mary's of £2331.65. Without you we can't make a difference in these peoples lives. Collecting door to door is difficult but for just a few hours of discomfort the money collected can make amazing life changes for others who are suffering a lifetime of desperate poverty.

If you feel able to help please contact Andrea Sands.

I sacked Simon Smith. Yep, I gave this week’s hapless contestant on The Apprentice his marching orders. OK, the TV evidence is that it was the lovable epitome of all things shrewd and opportunist, Sir Alan Sugar, who fired him – but at least I was there to back up his decision. As part of the studio audience for The Apprentice: You’re Fired!, the follow-up show that interviews each week’s victim, I got to wave my red card at Simon when the mob was asked how we’d have handled him.

In Sir Alan’s opinion, the ex-Army man – currently a satellite engineer – was amiable and industrious but simply out of his depth as a leader in the project he’d been assigned. I heartily agreed and, though I have no proven business acumen myself, I stand by my TV-ordained right to make flash judgements based on the slightest of slanted evidence.

It got me thinking, though. How, when it came to the biggest job on earth – building the kingdom of God – did Simon Peter get hired to provide the foundation? Sure, he was bolshie, spoke his mind and was proactive when it came to exercising faith. But was he the best choice? Could Jesus have chosen only Peter for that position?

As for the rest of the apostles, did they exhibit qualities not found in other fishermen, tax collectors and would-be insurgents? And here’s where I have a problem with the Great Commission: Jesus seemed to be telling the Eleven, ‘My family business has an aggressive expansion directive. Not only are you hired, I want you to get out there and hire anyone you come across, and train them so they can hire anyone they come across and train them so – well, you get the idea.’

What kind of discernment is that? What kind of business sees fit to hire anyone and everyone and train them to train others regardless of experience?

It seems Jesus had this intention from the start. Right at the outset, his job offer came with a career development package. ‘Come, follow me,’ he said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’

For Peter and Andrew, it was about swapping one family business for another. They chose wisely. So did Jesus. Which still leaves me wondering: What is it about you and about me that makes God take one look at us and say, ‘You’re hired’?

Jason Gardner - LICC

Hopefully for those that missed this important film, there will be showings of the film "An Inconvenient Truth" in the New Year. This is a fascinating and challenging look at Climate Change and the implications for our World!

Don't miss it!

For more information go to the web page

Church of England Proposes an Independent Ombudsman to Stop Supermarkets Squeezing Farmers

The pursuit of cheap food coupled with the buying power of the big supermarkets is putting farming livelihoods at risk, the Church of England has told the Competition Commission. Making farmers pay for supermarkets' own promotions is just one of a number of invisible and pernicious practices squeezing farm-gate prices.
While welcoming the broad findings in the Competition Commission's recent interim report, the Church argues that a wider debate is urgently needed on the effects of retailers extracting `below cost' supply agreements from farmers and their effect on a substantial and flourishing agricultural sector. "The business practices of the major food retailers have placed considerable stress on the farming community through the use of methods which we believe to be unfair and of which consumers seem to be unaware", said the Rt. Rev. Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter who chairs, the Church's Rural Strategy Group. "Farmers seem unwilling to complain or to expose these practices for fear that their products may be boycotted by the major retailers. It is clear that the Supermarkets Code of Practice is not working."
The call for a wider debate comes in the recent report `Fairtrade begins at Home'. The report identifies a number of invisible and pernicious practices that the consumer is largely unaware of and which have been accepted by farmers as a `fait accompli' as part of the price of doing business. These include:

o Products labelled as British but often only processed or packaged here and obscuring the country of origin of the primary ingredients.
o Flexible contract terms that seldom work to the advantage of the farmer.
o Flexible payment terms subject to arbitrary change that often puts farmers to an increased cost or financial loss.
o Facilitation payments, deductions and a range of financial inducements paid to the retailer or processor at the farmers expense.
o Little evidence that retailers share the benefits of promotions with farmers, and much evidence that farmers, in the main, bear the costs.

The Church calls on customers, supermarkets and Government to act on the information in its report and the Competition Commission report.
o Consumers need to question the impact on farmers of very low prices and the nature of special promotions (2 for 1 offers) in store, who the beneficiaries are and how supermarkets supply certain goods at reduced prices, and at whose expense. We contend there should be a debate around a genuine fair trade `mark' for British food, reared, grown produced and processed, that offers consumers and suppliers a fair product at a fair price.
o Supermarkets must examine their buying practices with a view to providing greater clarity and transparency to suppliers and consumers. The worst abuses that we have noted must be rooted out of buying practices. Each supermarket group should publish a buying code of how it does business with local producers and how it expects middle-men to conduct business relationships through the supply chain with producers. As part of this arbitrary changes and termination of contracts without considered notice should be avoided and the costs and benefits of in store and special promotions should be shared by each party.
o Government also has a role to play The Code of Conduct is not working, and has not acted to reduce fear of reprisals for `speaking out'. We urge a serious review of whether there is a need for an independent ombudsman with arbitration and regulatory powers. There may be an ongoing public policy role for ministers, agencies and others to debate and consider the worst abusers that we have noted, bearing in mind it is beyond the brief of the current competition enquiry regime to rule on pernicious practice per se, except where these are to the detriment of the consumer or are deemed to be anti-competitive; the omission of a public interest role is very different from the position in France, where this is used to police and regulate appropriate business relationships between retailers and farmers.
(Further information on this subject can be found at www.cofe.anglican.org/news)
If you feel strongly about this matter - why not take the trouble to write to your MP asking him to support our farming community in ensuring that the supermarkets treat them fairly.

Sometimes the best insights into faith come from the most obvious places.

Take America, for instance – a country founded by ‘pilgrims’, where 98 per cent of the people believe in God and close to 50 per cent attend church every Sunday. No wonder its balladeers, folk singers and rock icons have so often filled their songs with echoes of gospel truth or travesty. From the unequivocal Christian heritage of ‘grassroots’ groups such as the Carter Family through to contemporary hip hop and indie music, Jesus is frequently namechecked - and not just when someone’s picking up a Grammy.

Often it’s in praise, sometimes it’s in derision; but there is also many a time when his mention invokes the reverence American artists have for him (if not always for his followers).

I feel Jesus in the tenderness of honest, nervous lovers.
I feel Judas in the pistols and the pagers that come with all the powders.

Lost in fog and love and faithless fear,
I’ve had kisses that make Judas seem sincere.
‘Citrus’ from The Hold Steady’s Boys and Girls in America

Then there are those who recognise that wrestling with the political and social conscience of America means also addressing the faith that undergirds much of its ideology. Ben Folds, a long-term indie favourite, could be a modern-day Isaiah, calling disingenuous religion to account in his song ‘Jesusland’:

Town to town
broadcast to each house, they drop your name
but no one knows your face.
Billboards quoting things you’d never say
you hang your head and pray
for Jesusland.

North of the border, things are much the same. The latest offering from the Canadian band (and darlings of the music press) Arcade Fire, The Neon Bible, is shot through with religious references and apocalyptic thoughts. Hardly surprising, perhaps, from a band who recorded the album while holed up in a church for 18 months and whose lead singer has a degree in scriptural interpretation.

Of course, it would be misleading to read religious revival into the current preoccupations of pop culture, but at least it’s heartening to hear music from across the Pond that provides a little more food for thought than controversy-courting raps about bling, cars and girls.

I’ll leave you with a plea from the Arcade Fire song ‘Windowsill’ – one I hope to hear reverberate around the globe:

MTV, what have you done to me?
Save my soul, set me free.

Jason Gardner -LICC

CLICK HERE if you want to learn more - www.licc.org.uk/culture/soul-music -