Welcome to St. Luke's Church, Cheltenham - a living expression of the love of God in Christ.

1 Apr 2007 - News from The Link

Easter 2007

As I write preparations are well in hand for the Holy Week and Easter Services and these are detailed on the front cover. The arrangements may seem a little strange and unfamiliar this year, but do try to bear in mind the different circumstances that we are responding to. Two issues in particular need to be remembered. As I have responsibility for two parishes I have to try and plan out services in such a way that there is a balance between the two churches and that my time is equally shared between the two congregations. Secondly, although I have Rob Merchant and others to assist and help, these resources are limited and I have to have an eye on the future and look at what is viable and sustainable.

The pattern of Holy Week and Easter Services for this year is intended to try and provide 'something for everyone' and once the period is over I would be happy to receive comments and feed back on how you think it went. If there are clear improvements that can be made then I will take these into account when planning the services for next year. I hope that you will take note of the services that are taking place both at St. Luke's and St. Michael's and that you will come along and join in even if the service that appeals is not in your usual church. It is good to be able to share worship with others and we have a wonderful opportunity to experience worship in vastly different settings and with different traditions and yet with the familiarity of the same leadership team.

I am looking forward to celebrating Easter in both churches as we rejoice at the new life that Jesus reveals at his resurrection. Jesus demonstrates the supreme love of God through his sacrifice for us upon the cross when he bears the weight of our sins. It is only right that we recognise the debt that we owe to our Lord for freeing us from the death of sin by sharing in something of his passion in the events of Holy Week. Do try and make every effort to get along to some of the services during Holy Week as this gives much greater meaning and appreciation of our celebration of the glorious festival of Easter.

With every blessing to you all at this Holy Season, Happy Easter.

Robert

St John's Primary School - Where Children Flourish

Just when we had convinced ourselves that Spring was here, we have been hit with an icy blast of cold winds!

Red nose Day was celebrated in School with the wearing of big clothes. The Reception class made Red nose cakes and Year 2 iced Red nose biscuits. Some of the junior classes split into teams to complete the Red nose quiz which was on their website. The PTFA ran a cake sale at the end of the School day and gave half of the profits from the evening disco.

Year 1 celebrated the Chinese New Year by making dragons and paper masks. They also performed a fantastic assembly which explained why there are the 12 years named after the animals.

The School Hall is looking very smart as the refurbishments are coming to an end. We had new radiators fitted several weeks ago and now the walls have been painted and new blinds fitted.

PFS have organised activities at the Race course for 15 lucky Year 5 and 6 children. They go every Thursday afternoon until 6pm and so far have had a tour of the Race course, they have started to make their own movie and will be riding a mechanical horse! This will culminate in a presentation to their parents and Mrs Gilbert.

The Year 6 children have been invited to the Ladies College to watch their production of 'My Fair Lady'. This is the 5th year that they have been invited and it is an event that they look forward to.

Finally Year 3/4 have received coaching from an Arsenal football coach focussing on football skills and team games making sport fun for all. The children have really enjoyed the challenge

Tescos and Sainsbury supermarkets are issuing vouchers for computers and books again this year. We would be extremely grateful if you could drop in any vouchers you have been given.

Many Thanks

Fiona Hadden (Reception class Teacher)

A Letter from Liz Williams

NDJAMENA

10 February 2007

Dear all at St Luke's,

Greetings from Chad. This is to say thank you very much for the gift you sent to Wycliffe for me in December. That was very kind, I am very grateful for your continuing support. It was good to be with you a few times last year, and I look forward to keeping in touch with you and hearing about how things move ahead at St Luke's.

I have been back in Chad over 2 months now, and am feeling quite settled. For the first few months I am living in the capital. My house is on the corner of a yard, and my bedroom windows look out on to the street, so I see a lot of life go by. Often a herd of cattle goes past my window on their way to the river to drink water. Yes, in the capital!

In May I will move out to the Guera town of Mongo, where I will work for at least the next year, as acting regional director, covering for a colleague who will be on home leave. The Arabic that I'm learning at present will be very useful out there, and I hope that it will help me to make many contacts in the community there.

We have our branch retreat coming up, which is always a good time. We are praying that the country will remain stable enough for that to go ahead. There is a rebellion, but so far the government has held out.

Well, do keep in touch. I'd love to hear your news.

Yours in Christ,

Liz (Williams)

Note: Wycliffe Bible Translators is one of the overseas missionary societies that St Luke's supports financially.

Affluenza

Child psychologist Oliver James' book Affluenza analyses the ills of prosperous developed societies from Australia to Russia, China, Singapore, the US and UK in a totally secular, personal, non-academic and quite political study and concludes we suffer from selfish capitalism, what he calls a "virus" of "affluenza".

Affluenza means that the more americanised a culture the more consumerised it is and this consumerism is characterised by high levels of stress and mental problems, found even in children. His is a detailed indictment of our world of dysfunctional education, violence, addictions, where pornography is become mainstream, tv is full of cookery programmes but anorexia and bulimia are rife, our democracy is a sham and there is a widening gap between rich and poor. (Perhaps the theocratic regimes who view the west as Satan's pawn are right? But we would never settle for the lack of individual freedom under that system let alone the plight of women).

Indeed, James questions whether our boasted female emancipation has really been successful when it means mothers (especially single parents) are forced into (usually) low-paid work with the resulting personal stress and cost to society of children minded by strangers. He is not a pacifist but laments the huge national military expenditure when local maternity units are closing down for example. MOD (he calls the Ministry of Offence) owns 1% of our land and revenue from this could pay parents (fathers as well as mothers) to look after their own children at least up to the age of 3 a proper salary of £20,00?.

In addition to this idea (he's a great advocate of playing with small children as a stress-buster too) he proposes more wonderfully quirky remedies for affluenza: more referenda, freedom of government information, no more than one US programme on tv per day, no media or property to be owned by non-UK nationals, ban all attractive models from advertising, free public transport, paying people more who do unpleasant jobs than those who do enjoyable high-status ones, that education should aim to develop an individual not be geared to passing exams or the needs of the economy (apparently this approach to education of the young prevails uniquely in Denmark, which is fun because I borrowed this book from Vibeke).

I love these ideas but my favourite is to have a central non-competitive register of house properties (with the last nought to be knocked off all house prices) and convert all those estate agents lining our high streets into low-cost housing. Why has no-one thought of that before?

Oliver James' advice to individuals is to place less importance on money, possessions, appearances and fame; meet your needs not your wants, Be, don't Have, co-operate as well as compete, all of which we Christians would probably happily endorse. He arrives at his conclusions after travelling the world when we could have told him "Consider the lilies of the field".?.

At this time of year when we celebrate the complete opposite of conspicuous consumption, the Jesus of Lent and Easter, believers will know "the peace the world cannot give".

Heather Barton