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MINISTER'S LETTERS 2007/2008 September 2008 Dear Friends What a disaster the last few weeks have been! I have been having computer problems. Firstly my computer packed in completely, leaving me to use a smaller machine to get by until that decided to die on me as well. Just as things looked as though they were starting to improve, a lightening storm blew my internet link. The result of all this was about a month of chaos and catch up, meaning that things were delayed and my time needed to be diverted into different places. Some people will say, "Pens and paper don't let us down in this way" and I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but the computer has enabled us to do so much more and faster, that when suddenly we have to go back to the old ways, it is incredibly difficult. There was a time when people told stories to share their faith, they had no need of the written word and stories were passed down through generations. There was a time when hand writing was sufficient and there was no need for printed mass produced books. There was a time when reading was sufficient and there was no need for television images to be brought into our homes and there was a time when black and white was enough. I think that it is important for us to remember that God doesn't work on the pretext of "just enough to cope" he works on the principle of giving in abundance. We have been thinking recently in worship about small amounts making a huge difference and thinking of miracles like the feeding of the 5000. Maybe my computer problems have made me realise just how much I rely on the bounty God has given to me. Due to my computer problems the promise Youth Pull Out never materialized last month, but I have prepared it for this month, so please read about the exciting things that are going on with our young people. When I arrived here three years ago as a probationer new to the ministry and new to Norwich, I relied a great deal on the support of the team of stewards, Sheila, Barbara, Liz, Jan, William and Alison. Those early months were really tough for us as a family, because we had never been apart from the family and friends we had lived with all our lives. Nobody here knew anything about our history, what we had done, where we had been and who we were. There were times when we felt lonely, quite lost, isolated and even at times misunderstood. The team of stewards supported us a great deal during those early months and we will always be indebted to them for that support. As August draws to a close William and Alison stand down from their roles as Church Stewards and I am immensely grateful to them for the work they have done, particularly during this last year as senior stewards. Both of them will continue to be involved in the life of the Church in their different roles, but as they stand down, I would like to thank them for their support and encouragement. The role of the Steward is vital to the life of the Church and as we move into the New Year we have just four stewards, when really we need six to function properly. People seem to shy away from this work, because it appears to be a life consuming commitment. We have worked hard over the last three years to ensure that this is not the case and now the work revolves predominantly around worship. I am now becoming really concerned, because the Church is not sustainable if we don't have people in key roles like this. Can I please encourage you to think prayerfully about the work you do in the Church. We currently need:
I hope that as we head towards a new Church year we do so with great faith and hope. God Bless Derek
August 2008 Dear Friends, Normally I dread the August Newsletter; because it tends to come at a point when very little is happening in the life of the Church. There is almost a feeling that because schools close down for the summer, so does the Church. This August is a bit different and rather than scratching around to find something to say, I feel that it is more of a struggle what to leave out. "Breakout 2008" A lot of people in the Church will remember the MAYC London Weekend of many years ago. Just chatting to people both in the Church and outside about these wonderful events, seems to bring memories flooding back of weekends that somehow transformed lives. On Friday July 11th a group of 9 of us set off for Cliff College in Derbyshire for the modern version of MAYC Weekend "Breakout" and what was to be a life transforming weekend for many of us. I don't want to go into the details of the weekend, because we have put together a separate sheet about it. What I do want to say is what a privilege it was to spend a weekend with our young people and to be a part of such a wonderful experience. Once again I would like to say to the Church how very fortunate we are to have young people as part of the family here. Of the 12 young people who attended the weekend from this district, 6 were from Hethersett! I want to say "Thank You" to Michael also. I feel that it is an honour that one of our Church members was on the planning committee for this national event in the life of Methodism. Michael worked tirelessly all weekend and in a calm and efficient way he influenced change and common sense, while some others were simply wallowing in the authority that a yellow jacket and walkie talkie somehow give. I feel that our enjoyment in no small way was down to Michael's efforts and I am sure that the young people join me in thanking him. "Operation new Look" As I said last month, things are now starting to take shape and I am personally thrilled by what has happened so far. If I can mention one word of caution please. We have seen a number of photographs over recent weeks and they have brought back many happy memories for a lot of people as they have picked familiar faces out. I recognise that some people feel sensitive about pictures of themselves and will normally hide away from cameras. I am concerned that some folk might not want pictures of themselves to appear on the website or in any publicity materials we produce over the year. I have tried to think about how best to deal with this and feel that the best way is this. If you DON'T want pictures of yourself displayed, please speak to either me 01603 811999 or have a word with one of the Church Stewards. Also some people have caused a great deal of pain in the church over the years and it may be inappropriate for pictures of them to be displayed publicly. This is a sensitive issue and I know that already we have shown great care in avoiding upset. Unfortunately I don't know what these people look like and I rely on people with greater history in the Church to carefully vet such pictures. All this said. I hope that our year of celebration, is just that, celebrating what has happened in the last 25 years. Rejoicing in the good things that are happening now (and there are plenty of those things) and looking forward with enthusiastic optimism to where God is leading us next. I hope that as we head towards a new Church year we do so with great faith and hope God Bless Derek July 2008
This morning (Monday June 16th) my Bible reading was Joshua 1: 1-11 which you might like to have a quick look at. Joshua is chosen as the one to succeed Moses and to pick up on what Moses has done before him. I guess that Moses was quite an act to follow and Joshua may have felt quite inadequate for the work. He may well have seen how the Israelites had treated Moses and blamed him when things went wrong. Verses 5 & 6 strike me as likely to give Joshua a great deal of confidence. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.
I felt very humbled as I looked at the places that my predecessors have taken the community of this Church and the exciting things that have happened here. In many ways I feel quite inadequate. How do we revitalise and re-energise this Church to be the kind of witness that it has been in the past? How do we work with young people in the way that we have done in the past? How do we rekindle something of the Spirit of the Church of 25 years ago as it worked out its vision? If it is down to the minister, then I find myself asking "am I the right person in the right place?" Maybe my dilemma is not that far removed from Joshua's and maybe God's reply is much the same. As God was with the Church in the 1980's, he is with us today. Whatever he did then, he is just as able to do today and I think that we need to be strong and courageous as we walk hand in hand with him. Please, please, please get enthused by what we are doing with Operation New Look today. We have started a book of memories and a book of vision, hi the book of memories there is a page for every year from 1983 to 2008 and anything you remember from those years is important. It could be that you arrived in Hethersett, you were married here, your children were Christened here. It maybe that somebody died or that something wonderful or sad happened. Let's try to paint a full picture of the life of the Church. Also in the book of memories we have a list of people who were a part of the church at some point, but are no longer here. They may have moved on in a lot of different ways, but they are important to our journey. There is also an events page, where we can write down the things we have done. This can include trips, celebrations, special events and even the start of new projects. If you want to include photographs, please lend them to either me or one of the Stewards and we will scan them and let you have them back. The vision book is out chance to move forward. There are four pages which follow the Our Calling statement from the Methodist Church. Maybe you have some ideas about the kinds of things we could be doing in moving forward. Please jot them down on the pages titled Worship, Service, Learning, Caring and Evangelism. If you are not sure which one to write on, guess! We will sort it out. Finally Joshua did not face the task alone. He faced it with God and he faced it with the people around him. If you rely 100% on me, we are sunk before we start! If we work together, with God, I believe that we can do great things here. In closing (eventually) I will stick my neck out. If there is one Church in this circuit of 26 churches that can do great things, this is the one! Let us make Operation New Look really count. God Bless Derek June 2008
During these last few days I have been reading Richard Hammond's book "On the Edge: My Story" in which he and his wife recall the events of Autumn 2006 when he had a horrendous crash in a jet car and sustained brain damage. The remarkable story tells of the journey for fitness, through a life changing experience, then back to health again. The same man at the end as at the beginning of the story, yet somehow changed by this dramatic experience. As I write this letter, my thoughts are turning to Pentecost as I plan worship on this special day. I am reminded of a group of ordinary men who, whilst going about their daily tasks had a life changing experience because of meeting one very special man. I guess that as we look back over our lives there are a host of events that we might consider to be "life changing". Some of those will be very happy events when we have met new people who would change our lives forever, maybe significant career changes or some great achievement. Maybe there are occasions when we have simply stood in awe and wonder at some breathtaking view or experience and known that life would never be the same again. On the other hand, as we look back, there will be as many occasions when bad things have happened in our lives, when with a deep, painful sadness we have suddenly realised that life would never be the same again. This might have come as we have said goodbye to someone very precious to us, maybe as earth shattering news has been broken to us about a health issue or situation at work. Often it can be as painful when something happens to somebody we love as it is if it happens to us. Richard Hammond's wife Mindy talks in the book about how the world stood painfully still, when she heard the news of the accident. She can recall moment by moment the agonising journey from Gloucestershire to Leeds as she rushed to be with her husband and you can almost feel your heart stop with hers. It must have been like this for the disciples as they saw their world fall apart around them during Holy Week and as we arrive at Pentecost, there is a feeling of journeying through all the highs and lows and coming to the point of moving on filled with the Spirit. I doubt for a moment that Richard Hammond would have chosen to have the accident, but the man who emerges as a result of what happened is different, stronger and better equipped to face the challenges of the world as a result. The disciples who emerged from the whole Jesus experience were different, stronger and better equipped to face the challenges of the world as a result of everything that had happened to them, and filled with the Holy Spirit, they were able to do amazing things. Life throws us challenges and treats and I am convinced that we grow through both and are better equipped to face the world, BECAUSE of these experiences. May God Bless you in all you do. Derek May 2008 Dear Friends On Friday 11th April while the fashion show was taking place in Hethersett, a group of us went to Great Yarmouth to see the musical "Blessed Be" which was written and performed by members of the East Norfolk Circuit. The aim of the event was to draw together the people of the three circuits that merged last September to form the new circuit. The musical is based on Matthew 5: 3-12 a reading that we normally refer to as the beatitudes. I have got to say that as I sat and watched the sketches and listened to the music I was really challeneged by the words of scripture. 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. So often in life we strive for ease, status, wealth, satisfaction and power. The teaching of Jesus turns this on its head, as he so often does and he teaches that if we really want to find favour with others, then we spend less time focusing on our own well being. When I look back over my life at the people I have admired the most, it is not the people who have wealth, status and power. More often than not it is the people who have done things that I have admired and have been interested in others. Jesus did not call us to build a church, he calls us to make disciples. We don't do this by simply coming to worship for an hour on a Sunday, it is about the way we live our lives day to day. I am concerned that so often when we talk about church, we talk about what happens for that precious hour on a Sunday. I think that the future of the Church depends on our ability to help people to be disciples, rather than simply Church Members God Bless Derek April 2008 Dear Friends, Writing this letter during Holy Week is not an easy task. Whilst in many ways Holy Week brings with it a welcome break from the round of meetings, it is also a week in which there are a number of services to prepare for and most of them require a fair level of thought as people journey to the cross and through to the resurrection. Maybe the Holy Week journey encourages us all to focus on some of the things that are really important. I have spent today (Monday) at the probationers' oversight committee and a group of us have interviewed the probationer ministers from around the district and have encouraged them to go through a process of reflecting on the many different aspects of their ministry. I guess that each one has found the balance in deciding what is important fairly difficult to maintain and most of us who had the privileged position of asking questions find that we struggle to find the balance as well. I think that Holy Week helps us to get a new perspective on what is important in the Christian life and as I journey to the cross this year I find that I am trying to reflect on what is important in the life of the Church. Over the weekend of Passion Sunday I was very privileged to go to North Walsham with the young folk from the Church. I don't want to tell you anything really about the weekend, I would prefer that you asked the young people to tell you about some of the things that happened. I hope that they have written something in the Newsletter, but if they haven't, ask the questions yourselves. What I do want to say is this. I believe that as a church we ought to be delighted that we have both a youth group and Sunday club. This is largely due to the committed group of people who work with them, but I am proud of all that we do with children and young people. I am committed to ensuring that our young people have a good experience of Church and an opportunity to make their own reasoned decisions about living a Christian life. The other thing that I am committed to is the work we have done since Christmas with regard to prayer and healing ministry. Already we are in the process of preparing to leaflet drop the whole village to let them know something of the prayer ministry of the church. We are also planning a series of services focussing on prayer and healing. I believe that if we get the prayer life of the church in order, we will see God do great things here. Please don't sit on the sidelines, get involved! I am incredibly disappointed that our plea last month for help with the newsletter in June returned a sum total of zero offers of help. I know that folk are busy, we all are, but surely in a church the size of Hethersett we should be able to carry on our day to day functions. Maybe for all of us the lesson to be learned from the Holy Week experience is that we need to reflect on what is really important in the Christian life and then commit ourselves to serving God. I believe that every Christian is called to Learn, Pray, Worship and Serve. Let us ensure that the experiences of that first Holy Week were not in vain. God Bless Derek March 2008 Dear Friends I feel really
encouraged as I write this month's minister's letter.
When we talked about developing a healing ministry in the Church
during last autumn, I felt that maybe we ought to have a series of three
or four meetings to test the water.
I guess that I imagined that three or four of us would meet and
from that small group we would be able to encourage others.
I was wrong, on the first night fifteen of us met together and we
maintained good numbers throughout.
I feel that I would like to share some of what we learned with
the wide church. It became apparent
fairly early on that churches in general, focus on just one element of
the ministry of Christ, and that is preaching.
We place a great importance on what happens on a Sunday morning,
we train people rigorously in the art of preaching and ensure that they
are sufficiently educated to do their work, and rightly so.
However, preaching was just a part of the ministry of Jesus; he
also served others, befriended outcasts, prayed for people and healed
people. Perhaps as we read
the Gospels we might bear in mind the importance of looking at the way
Jesus lived his life, what his values and priorities were. It seems to me that
as Christian folk, we are people who should constantly be striving to
pattern our style of living on that of Christ.
This maybe means that we have to take a serious look at parts of
our lives and see if any adjustments need to be made.
There are a few practical suggestions that have come out of the
Healing Ministry Meetings. We have over 130
members and friends of this church, which surely should give us some
praying power. However, we
only have 12 of those people on our prayer circle. It
maybe that a lot of you are not aware that we even have a prayer circle,
so I’ll explain how it works. If
something happens that needs urgent prayer, a message goes down the
prayer list by telephone and the people pray for the situation. We know when everybody has been contacted when the message
comes back to the person who started it off.
If you would like your name to be added to the list, please leave
a note in my tray in the vestry and I will make sure that you are
included. We are planning to
increase the focus on prayer and healing by having eight acts of
worship, with a specific focus on this work.
These will be the evening services on March 23rd
(Easter Day), April 6th, April 20th and May 4th.
Also we will use the morning services on June 8th,
15th, 22nd and 29th. Nobody needs to feel
uncomfortable about these services, healing can be about lame people
walking and blind folk seeing, but it is equally about issues that
linger in our hearts and minds. It
is about our spiritual well being as much as it is about our physical
healing. Maybe as we journey
through this year, we will discover new areas of ministry that more
people can be involved in. We
might end up with a prayer ministry team.
Please give this some thought, it doesn’t need to engulf your
life, but I believe that a praying church is a church that is open to
the leading of God’s Spirit and because of that, it is a church that
is growing and moving in new ways. I am really
encouraged by all of this, particularly as plans are already taking
shape for Operation New Look 08. This
is a golden opportunity for us to turn the church around and serve God
in new ways, while still living within our tradition. God Bless Derek
February 2008 Dear Friends There are several
things that still take a bit of getting used to as a minister, even one
with three Christmas’s under his belt now.
I still find it a bit odd writing a ministers letter for January,
before Christmas has happened and reflections of Christmas in the
February newsletter. Even
though it feels odd and Christmas feels an age away now, I do think that
it is important to share some of my high points with you, because I
often focus on the negative and maybe its time to rejoice in the good. Christmas feels to
have been a time of good attendances, which sort of feels to buck the
trend with so much that happens in Church.
The Christmas midweek praise on Wednesday 19th had a
much better attendance than I had expected and we shared a wonderful
evening of Christmas Carols, songs and readings.
It was especially precious to me, because I was able to be part
of the congregation. The Carol Service
felt to have quite a buzz and it was good to welcome some folk that we
haven’t seen for a while and some new faces to the church.
The preacher has a distinct advantage of facing a sea of faces
and the singing was first class. There
is a noticeable difference when we use the screen and everybody is
singing out. Tremendous!! The Christingle
service was a precious memory to me.
Again the Church was fairly full with best estimates at over 100
people (it is rather difficult to count when so many little bodies are
moving around) and a great excitement on that special night.
There was high emotion as we all sung “Away in a manger” to
the light of the Christingle candles.
A very special memory. I was absent on
Christmas morning because I was leading worship at Framingham Earl, but
I understand that once again we had a fairly full Church and a good,
fun, yet worshipful service. I
could go on. The late night
communion on Christmas Eve is always special, Christmas Reflections on
December 30th, designed to give a bit of meaning to a
“low” Sunday evening ended up with a good congregation and good act
of worship. It seems to me that
there is an enthusiasm about Church and about Christ at Christmas that
can so easily slip away as the New Year settles in.
A good percentage of the population of this village came to
worship at one of our churches on Christmas Eve for some reason.
I think that we can be very encouraged by what we have seen and
take heart as we settle into this New Year.
God IS at work in this community in ways that we possibly fail to
recognise sometimes. We
have a great challenge to fulfil as we work with him, but I am certain
that the joy we found over Christmas can and will spill over into the
day to day life of the Church. Look out for new
projects and get involved, if we all work together, we WILL see change! God Bless Derek January 2008 Dear Friends I don’t know
whether you have noticed how diaries change so much during the course of
a year. At the moment the
2008 diary is crisp and clean, with several empty pages and at this
point the New Year spans out in front like a great big empty page ready
to be written on. It
doesn’t feel that long since I cracked open the 2007 diary and now, it
is tired with every page scribbled on and I glance back at a whole load
of memories, challenges, heartaches and treasures. The old diary looks a bit tatty and worn now, a far cry from
a year ago. I think that as
December gives way to January, we may feel a bit ragged as well and
ready for a new start in the all New Year. Before
we leave this year behind, I would like to thank a lot of people who
contributed huge amounts in the way of time, talents and even money
during 2007. The church
building looks different, refreshed and renewed, thanks to a lot of hard
work. It looks particularly good as we lead up to Christmas, thanks
to a team of people who have used their talents and creative skills.
Thanks also to everyone who has contributed to the different
projects we have been involved in during 2007, there is a buzz in the
Church and I have valued conversations with people particularly during
the last couple of months. As the New Year
beckons, I hope that we can enthusiastically launch into a special year
of moving the projects I mentioned last month forward.
There is a huge amount of work to do as we plan for Operation New
Look 08, for each of the new projects and as we start to fill the pages
in the diary with activities to excite and enthuse the people of this
village. Apologies to the folk
who don’t have internet access, but I am going to mention the website
again. It is now updated
weekly and there are bulletins posted every Monday about activities that
are going on in the church. I
have had conversations with people outside the life of the Church, who
are now looking at the website regularly and it is becoming a window
into the community. I write
the bulletin weekly, but if I am not at an event, I find it very
difficult to write about it. If
the Church is going to reach out into the community we need to be
telling folk of some of the good things we do.
If you have been to something and have enjoyed it, why not drop
me a line and let me know. With your permission I can include these comments in the
bulletin. The next time you
attend something at church and I am not there, please think to yourself
“the folk of the village aren’t going to hear anything about this,
maybe I could write a line or two” I am amazed at all the good things
that go on in this Church, but we don’t often read about them in the
Newsletter or on the website, are we trying to keep them a secret? I pray that you have
a wonderful Christmas and wish you all the very best for 2008.
May it be one of those years when we look at our diary in a
year’s time and say, did we really do all that!!? God Bless Derek
December 2007 Dear Friends, Please forgive me
for writing a slightly different kind of letter this month.
I see the signs of some exciting things happening both for the
church here at Hethersett and around the circuit and I would like to
share some of these things with you. Firstly let me
thank all the people who have responded to my letter last month.
Ever since I arrived in Hethersett one of my greatest concerns
has been that I have felt people have been pre-occupied with all manner
of issues, but have not appeared to be too concerned about the way the
church could move forward. I
was wrong! We have a good
number of people who care passionately about what happens, but perhaps
feel that nobody will listen to them.
I think that now we have started to do so, the church could start
to move in new directions. Let
me give you a bit of a taste of what is going on.
FUN4U
is the new all age event that I mentioned last month. Already a couple of people have offered to help, but we need
more. You will hear more
about this project over the coming few weeks.
I have ended up co-ordinating the initial series, but really we
want to establish a team to carry the work on, so we can plan further
projects under the 21cc umbrella. Refresh is a new alternative worship that will happen on the second Thursday evening of the month at 7:30pm at Chapel Field Road starting on January 10th. This service has grown out of the 20’s and 30’s group in the circuit, but is not aimed exclusively at that age range. It will be a more informal style of worship. Oasis
is another alternative style of worship that will take place on a Friday
evening every week at 9pm at St Peters, Park Lane.
The service will last about half an hour and will be a more
reflective style, forming a bridge between the working week and the
weekend. Details of all of
these events are in The Methodist. The
Website has undergone a
few minor changes and I am grateful to Peter for all he does, managing
the website for us. I have
started writing a weekly bulletin, which normally will appear on a
Monday or Tuesday each week, with a glance back at the previous week and
(as I get into the swing of things) a look forward at what is to come.
Breakout
2008 happens next July and we are hoping to take a group from the circuit.
We have already started to plan events in preparation, mainly to
try and bond friendships from around the circuit and district.
On December 2nd there will be the first event at
Hethersett, with a fun afternoon and a youth service to follow.
We would like to try and subsidise young people who would like to
attend, so watch out for more details. Healing Ministry is something that I have already mentioned in previous newsletters. I am keen that we should commit ourselves to making this happen and would like to suggest that maybe we meet for four consecutive Wednesday evenings starting on January 16th at the manse. If this is something you would be interested in being involved with, please give me a ring. If sufficient people are interested we will start on this date, if the date is a problem, we can negotiate something different.
Hope
2008 is a national
ecumenical project aimed at bringing the Gospel to people where they
are. I am currently waiting
for the manual, but am hoping that it is something we can pick up as a
church. Already we have
discussed this at the Churches Together meeting and there will no doubt
be some village wide initiatives, but we may want to pursue some other
work ourselves. New
Look 08 is the year of
anniversary celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of
Operation new Look. We are
already in the process of inviting preachers and planning events, but
this is a further opportunity to try out new initiatives and maybe do
things that have been successful in the past, but in new ways. Does this look
like a Church in decline, or a Church on the move?
I think that we are in an exciting place, keep talking to one
another and keep talking to me. Don’t
sit there and think “I have a good idea, but nobody will listen to
me” we will, share, the things you think we ought to be doing, even if
your voice has not been heard in the past.
These are exciting times, jump on board! We sit once again
at the beginning of the season of Advent, that time where we wait in
eager anticipation. It is
the season when we prepare, not only food and presents, but ourselves
for the most significant birth in the history of the world.
Maybe it is for us a good time to spend reflecting, preparing and
expecting? God Bless Derek October 2007 Dear Friends I have just been reading Gloria Hunniford's book "Next to you" in which she tells the story of the tragic death of her daughter Caron Keating at the age of 41 after a seven year battle with breast and bone cancer. Quite surprisingly it is an incredibly positive book, although it is very moving at several points. Caron Keating was diagnosed with breast cancer just weeks after the birth of her youngest son Gabriel and from the word go she would not accept the fact that this would destroy her and was determined to spend as much time with her boys as she possibly could. She made life changing decisions and explored every possible means of extending her 18 month life expectancy as long as she possibly could. She dabbled in alternative therapy alongside the recommendations of her oncologist. Life became frantic as she raced around the world seeking healing and a cure. In 2003 she found healing through spending time with some Tibetan Buddhist Monks and during a time of prayer she found the peace and healing that she had been seeking for six years. Just after Easter 2004 she fell into a sleep and never awoke. Had she failed in finding the healing she had been searching for? Is a person only healed if the illness they are struggling with leaves them? I believe that God healed her. Why am I telling you this? Well, I believe that there are two vitally important lessons to be learned from Caron Keating's experience. Firstly I believe that it is an essential part of our Christian ministry to pray for the healing of people. I guess that sometimes we shy away from this because we all have stories in our own experience where people have not been healed in the way that we have expected. I think that in the experience of Caron Keating we see somebody who found a peace and an inner healing in her life. If you get a chance, please read the book, it is well worth the experience. The second lesson that I have learned from this book is that we don't simply have to accept the way things are, we can make a difference. It might mean that we have to make radical differeneces to the way we live and maybe to our patterns of traditions, but things do not necessarily need to be the way they are. October 2008 sees the 25th anniversary of the opening of the new look church after "Operation New Look" and I believe that this gives us an opportunity as a Church to re-think the way we are working. It may be an opportunity to try new projects and give us a new impetus to the work we are doing. I have a few ideas that I am trying to work with at the moment and it may be that there are things that you feel we should be considering. Please give this some thought and let's see if we can shift the work of God in this church up into a new gear and really start to make a difference in the lives of people in this village. Derek
September 2007 Dear Friends One of my favourite Bible stories is where, shortly after the resurrection, Jesus meets with the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and shares a meal of cooked fish with them. I think that the story marks a new beginning for the disciples. They have come through the agony of the Easter story and here in this place they have an opportunity to put all their past problems behind them and they face the future in a new way. In some ways this is a little how I feel at the moment. When I arrived in Hethersett two years ago, I still had my training to complete and as I look back over my time with you, the journey has been an incredible privilege and pleasure, but has also been quite hard work and time consuming. As most of you will know I was ordained at the Methodist Conference in Blackpool on July 8th (my actual ordination service being held in Southport) and it was wonderful to share the event with friends from Norfolk, Bradford and college. This was truly a day to remember and if you would like to read more about it there is a full account on the website (if you don't have access i am sure that somebody will print a copy for you) with pictures! Over the last two weeks we have been on holiday and I always find that this is a golden opportunity to take stock and plan for the weeks ahead. As I now start work again and take up the reigns as an ordained minister, I feel very much like those disciples sitting on the beach every day sharing a meal and taking up the work that Jesus had begun. The Methodist Church has served God in Hethersett for a great many years and we must not forget our rich heritage - the place that we have come from and how it has shaped the church that we are today. As I have said numerous times since I arrived here, I believe that we are on the verge of moving forward in big ways. I feel very positive at the start of a new connexional year, there are exciting new areas of work for us to get our teeth into: Alpha starts again later this month; we are looking at where we go next with the concept of "Bite Size Services"; we are starting to look at how we develop a healing ministry and the circuit is working hard on a project for a new church fit for the 21st century. These are exciting new projects and to enable them to work effectively we need commitment. If the whole church works together, we can achieve incredible things in this village. Please get behind not just the new initiatives, but all the regular events and let us make a real difference to the life of this village. The disciples sat on the shore of lake Galilee with Jesus and there they sat at the birth of the Christian Church, 2000 years later that faith is still alive throughout the world and growing day by day, all because of the commitment of those first few disciples. If they could achieve all they did then, what could we achieve today? Derek August 2007 Dear Friends August is a funny month! It is the month when we appear ro have a break from everything. Meetings suddenly appear to stop, schools are on holiday and traditionally August was the month when everybody took a break to the seaside. I can still remember the Bradford holidays, when the mills all closed down and the whole place was like a ghost town. I was quite shocked last year when I realised what an inconvenience having holidaymakers around is, as I struggled along the A47 on a Saturday and discovered that our favourite haunts were all packed. I positively resented people taking their breaks in Norfolk! I think that for me, August is a month of stock taking. I find myself looking at an Autumn diary that is already filling up well and I realise that once I pass the magical date of September 1st I will be on a run that will take me all the way to Christmas. So during those four precious weeks of August I have a chance to stand back a little, take stock, get my breath and prepare for the busy months. This year August is a month of endings. As a circuit we say goodbye to the current Norwich circuit with its ways of working and its familiar places and we prepare to move forward with the new circuit including Wymondham and Attleborough. We say goodbye to colleagues like Sarah Hamilton who has now returned to the USA after serving two years in the north west of the circuit, and we say goodbye to Michael Corney who has been a part of the life of this circuit for several years. We say hello to John Fenn who takes over from Michael and who will also become the new superintendent working with Stephen for a year. We welcome Briant Smith and Harold Wilkinson who will look after the churches currently in the Wymondham and Attleborough circuit and we welcome Sharon Willimott who will take over from Sarah. There are changes happening in this church as well. Sheila retires form the post of senior steward at the end of August. I would like to personally thank Sheila for staying on as senior steward for the last two years, first while I settled in and secondly because of changes we have been trying to make to the role of church stewards. I appreciated Sheila's help both in the time before we arrived here and during the early months of settling in. I hope that you appreciate a well earned rest and in your own time that you will find new challenges in the life of the church and the circuit. We go forward into the Autumn with William and Alison working together as senior stewards, Anne continues for a second year and is joined by Jackie Baker, Neville and Tina Greenhalgh and Juliet Lomas. We hope that with a full team working together that we can move forward and continue the work established by folk who have worked hard in the life of the church over the years. If you are taking a break during August, please enjoy yourselves, take stock, relax and let us all look forward to an autumn together when we can do great things for God. Derek
July 2007 Dear Friends There are times when a Bible Reading, a hymn or theme keeps cropping up and I find myself wondering just what God is trying to tell me. One subject that has repeatedly been used just recently is "stepping out of the comfort zone." When I candidated for the ministry I was told that I needed to step out of my comfort zone by the District Candidates Committee and I have assumed that the whole process of being stationed has done just this. Maybe we all find areas of our lives that are comfortable and we are much happier staying in those places. It is certainly much more pleasurable mixing with people who think the same way as we do and act in a similar fashion. It is much more comfortable being with people we like, who don't question what we do, but then maybe we don't grow much if we adopt this style of living. History has tended to show that people grow when they step out of their comfort zones and I certainly believe that massive advances in science and technology would never have happened if people had stuck with what is comfortable. Sporting achievements would never have been exceeded if people had simply accepted their own limits. It may be that things are happening in the world, in this village, in this church and even in your own lives that make you feel quite uncomfortable and your natural inclination might be to stay clear of such things. It may be that you know your limitations and would not feel happy trying something that you might find that you can't cope with; you certainly wouldn't want to let people down. I stepped out of the comfort zone 4 years ago when I candidated and there have been times since then that I have felt quite overwhelmed, but, the more that I have pushed the boundaries, the more that I have felt supported by the Spirit and by the people around me. I was particularly moved at my testimony service when so many people came and supported me. I am so grateful to people who gave of their own time to come and share in that act of worship. Have courage to step outside your comfort zone in the knowledge that you are not alone and will be supported. Derek June 2007 Dear Friends, On the few occasions recently that I have travelled home from the North of England and made that seemingly endless journey from Newark to Norwich I have thought about the first time I made the journey in the back of my dad's three wheeler Reliant in 1967. I can remember wondering if we would every get to Great Yarmouth. I suppose that in those days we travelled through every single town and village and I guess that we seldom travelled much faster than 40 mph. If my brother and I were like most children, we no doubt started asking if we were nearly there before we had left West Yorkshire and knowing my dad's sense of optimism he no doubt said enthusiastically "we are nearly there" not long after Lincoln. Those two words "nearly there" feel to be very fitting for me at the moment and the journey into ordained ministry has quite often compared well to that epic journey in 1967. There have been times when progress has been exciting, times when the journey has felt to be an uphill struggle, times when it has all felt quite monotonous and even pointless and times when I have felt like giving up. In the next few weeks I have perhaps the most exciting bit of the whole process as I prepare my final assignments for my degree course. I will still have to research and write my dissertation, which hopefully will be completed by Christmas. On May 24th I will have my Testimony Service which I am really looking forward to, when Martyn Atkins (next year's president of conference) will come and preach. At the beginning of July I go away for a week with all the other ordinands to Cheshire to prepare for ordination, then July 8th is the big day of ordination. Nearly there! "Nearly there" would seem to be a good title for the church too. I feel that we are on the brink of something big. Already the statisticians are claiming that the decline in church attendance has bottomed out and in some places there are reports of growth. I was so encouraged to hear what Val Dodsworth had to say about street pastors at the ladies breakfast (with men) last Saturday. Without deliberate acts of evangelism, doors are opening to share faith and it is not just in this one project. New and exciting initiatives are being discussed in the circuit. I am always encouraged when I see new faces in church, not just in worship, but in other activities that go on in the life of the church. I am encouraged by the activities and enthusiasm I find in church life. I am encouraged by the practical work that has happened to the building and am thankful for the generosity of people who give of time and money to ensure that we have a good base for our mission work. If there was ever a church that could make it, I think that we are a part of it and whilst a lot of places experience serious struggles, I think that we are actually getting there. Thank you for all you do to keep God's work alive in Hethersett. My prayer now is that we prepare ourselves for the next part of the journey, we are almost there! God Bless you all Derek May 2007 Dear Friends I have had this theory for a long time that if having experienced something, you come away feeling that life can never be the same again, it has been something worth experiencing. In the past I have measured church events, parts of my own spiritual journey and even holidays in this way. Looking back to last year, I can remember Easter being one such occasion that marked a turning point in my ministerial journey. The seasons of Lent and Easter have had very much the same impact on me this year. As I think about this letter I see the mark of yet another turn in my Christian journey. Lent was a bit odd; I didn't take part in the Lent groups because of other commitments. I spent almost two weeks away on retreat and at college; much of my time was spent preparing to face the district oversight committee and Ministerial Synod, who thankfully have recommended me for ordination at this year's conference. This means that the initial training period is almost complete. (Just the degree to complete now) Holy week was quite hard work, chiefly because I was ill and struggled my way through. It was interesting how God appeared to work through this and I felt that some of the services took on a completely different life, because of my struggle. I love the atmosphere of Maundy Thursday, particularly as the church empties in silence and darkness, very powerful indeed. Good Friday was equally a good experience, not least because it was Amy's 18th birthday. Because of timing I decided that it made sense to attend the whole morning at Hethersett (I will be at Framingham Earl next year), this meant that I was able to take part in the walk as well as the worship. Easter morning was wonderful. Early morning communion at Brooke was a delight. The church looked wonderful both out and in with primroses and daffodils in the wood outside and beautiful flowers inside. The church was full to capacity and we had a good time together. Following breakfast, we came back to Hethersett for our all age worship, which was a joyful affair. Then we went off on holiday and as I have reflected over the week, life can never be quite the same again, because of Easter! As I close, I would like to thank all the people who have worked so hard, particularly during Holy Week, pulling everything together. The church looked splendid, particularly on Easter Day. We have a fairly new group of people who have taken on the task of decorating the church for such occasions and I think that Holy Week was a good example of how our surroundings can help us to worship God. God Bless you all Derek April 2007
Having just spent the best part of two weeks away on retreat and studying, I return feeling a bit out of touch with everything that is going on and challenged by some of the things I have been looking at over the last couple of weeks. It seems that one of the prevalent thoughts at the moment is the whole issue of what the Church of the 21st century looks like. On Saturday 3rd March a group from the circuit met to discuss how the Norwich circuit might react to this challenge. Interestingly at the same time, I was in a lecture looking at how community is seen in very different ways today to how it was, say 20 years ago. There was a time when the community we would relate to would be strictly geographical. Nowadays people are far more likely to relate to communities where interests are shared, or in the workplace or even through the computer or telephone, with miles, even whole continents between people. Somehow the church feels to be trapped in a community that existed decades ago and for a good number of people in our churches this is quite acceptable. I have heard once again recently the comment about church "well if it sees me out" and I don't think that this is acceptable. Surely the message of Jesus Christ is meant to be relevant for today and if so, this is not simply looking inwards at how we want the church to be, but it is about seeking new ways of being church. Already things are happening in Norwich. By the time you read this, the Street Pastors projects will be up and running, with Methodist people at the heart of what is going on. The Circuit Meeting will have discussed a new style of Church in the city, driven by the Methodist people. The Alpha course that ran during last Autumn will have continued for three more months with people still meeting and exploring faith issues further. A new Alpha house group will be well under way with more people making that journey of faith and a major Alpha campaign for the is coming Autumn is in the planning stages. I am excited to be a part of the church as it grapples with new challenges. We could be facing some of the most dynamic years in the life of the church that we have seen in our lifetimes! However, the only thing that appears to stand in the way of progress is the church itself. This is not surprising I guess. In the time of Jesus, it was the established Church who stood against all that Jesus was doing and indeed who were influential in his crucifixion. It was the Church who stood against John Wesley, eventually causing the Methodist movement to become a new denomination. I was disappointed to hear that people have complained about continual reference to the website in the newsletter. If we want this church to remain "ours" then lets simply keep on as we are and so long as it sees us out, all well and good. I guess that we will continue the trend of people joining us and leaving us at the same rate. There is frequent reference to "the missing generation" in church. This generation is now pretty well anybody under 50 (the majority of people in most Methodist Churches are aged 50+) and if we are to change this, we need to understand the world we live in, we need to understand something of the faith we proclaim and we need to understand something of the denomination to which we belong. If we want to be true to the Gospel, to be a part of a living Church, relevant to the society in which we live, alive, open to criticism, growing and focussing on what is important, then we can be complacent no longer. Please look out for information about the Methodist Church for the 21st century and support it with your prayers and your time.
Derek
March 2007 Dear Friends, At present I am form filling! It is not one of my favourite tasks, but as Ordination approaches fast, there is a whole host of information that needs to be read about me, so that the members of conference can say on July 8th "He is worthy!" Before that glorious day there is quite a lot of work to be done. I am in the process of filling in my self evaluation form and I am beginning to realise that when I first arrived in Norfolk I was full of good intensions and felt that I had a pretty good idea of what a minister should look like. At a recent staff meeting we had a lengthy discussion about what a presbyter (a Minister like me) does. We never actually reached a conclusion and it seems to me that each minister is a unique animal based on whatever skills and personality they bring with them. This is then made more complicated by the unique qualities of each individual church. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I find myself attempting to be the best minister I can be in each of my churches. What would that look like? I really don't know, perhaps something different every single day. Ministers appear to feel duty bound to say how hard they work, perhaps that is so that we can justify our existence to the members of the churches we serve. I guess that I don't work any harder or longer now than I did when I was in industry. The problem is that I don't feel to get time to do some of the things I really would like to do. I know that people have been in hospital and I have not managed to get a visit in. I feel dreadful about that, because in my days prior to taking on this role, that is one of the core duties, I expected to be doing. Things might ease when I have completed my studies later this year. Unfortunately this will clash with my taking on at least one additional church and possibly some circuit responsibility. Why am telling you all this? So that you can pity me? So that you can appreciate my busy workload? No! One of the things that marks the Methodist Church out from either the Catholic or the Anglican traditions is that we believe in the ministry of the whole people of God. This means that the success of the church depends on us working together. Ministers will come and go, but you are the people who will, by and large stay in this place. Let me tell you one final thing before I close! This is an excellent church community. We have some of the hardest working people imaginable, who commit themselves wholeheartedly to the work of God in this place. I believe that of any church I have had anything to do with, this one could achieve glorious things for God. We have good activities, we have families, we have young people, we have a decent building and we have a mission minded Church. I am concerned about some of the political issues that still simmer under the surface. If are to be true to our calling, those must end and we must work together. I am concerned about some of the negativity, which can ultimately destroy this church. Let us set our sights on what God is doing in this village! Let us work together with enthusiasm! Let us strive to make a difference in this village! There is no time to waste! Derek February 2007 Dear
Friends, I
can't believe that the weather is so mild. I have just made my January visit to college in Manchester and whilst I was blown all
over the place driving up on Friday, it was a delight to drive over the
Woodhead pass in the nice evening sunlight this evening. It felt more like
a spring evening than late afternoon in January. Somehow
when the weather is like this in January there is a feeling of complete
detachment with the Christmas period and it is hard to believe that
Christmas day was only three weeks ago! As Christians
we carry the Christmas message forward into this New Year and we
continue the celebrations, not just for one day but for many to come. As I
look forward to my February diary there are several issues
I would like to draw to your attention for prayer and if possible participation. A year ago we were in the early stages of
coming to terms
with the District Boundaries proposals. Today we are moving down
the line to a circuit merger in September. We have a new minister
in place to come to Chapel Field Road and work alongside Stephen Mosedale for a year prior to taking on the role of Superintendent
Minister. We have a name for a probationer minister to take over from Sarah Hamilton when she moves back to the US later
this year and we have some applications from active supernumerary
ministers who are hoping to take pastoral oversight of three churches in
the south of the new circuit, so things are starting to come
together. Hopefully I will take pastoral care of Long Stratton and
maybe Hempnall churches from September. During February the steering
group will meet once again to try to move the somewhat complex
process forward a bit further. I am
hoping to meet with the worship leaders, to try and decide
how best theirs skills can be used to enhance worship. This is a part of
our work that will require prayer and I would ask that you remember Liz,
Jackie and Michael as we work through this process together. On February 20th we have our pancake party to
launch the Lent Groups in the village. This year marks the 200th
anniversary of the
abolition of slavery and we are using material that picks up on this,
helping us to reflect on the life of William Wilberforce who was a Christian with a social conscience who worked hard for
a long period of time to push bills through parliament, that would bring
about lasting social reform in this country. I would challenge you to come
along and during this season of Lent to ask what are the issues where the Church should be standing strong. Finally
I would ask you to pray for Fern, who has volunteered to
work as a Street Pastor. We don't have to wait until Fern comes to some
group activity to talk about her work, please speak to her about what
she is doing, particularly if you feel that this is something you could be involved in. Also please read the notices and articles that are
appearing about Norwich Nightstop, again maybe this is something that you feel that you could be involved in. Above all else,
please continue to pray for projects like these. This is the church today doing the same work that Wilberforce was driving 200 years
ago. We are the body of Christ at work for him today. Derek January
2007 Dear
Friends, In
my past life, for a number of years, New Year meant stocktaking. This was an essential task to ensure that everything was really
as you expected it to be. Stock-taking was a task that sort of put
everything right, but was always followed by a process of understanding
why you had more of something and less of something else than you
expected. In
much the same way I find myself going through a process of
stock-taking in my own life at the turn of the year. Am I in the place
where I expected to be? Have I achieved those things that were dreams
and plans this time last year? What things have come up quite unexpected
and changed the whole scheme of things? And what
have I learned from all of this. Looking back can be a very positive
thing and it can also feel quite negative, either way, I feel it is
something that I must do to ensure that the journey forward makes sense. It
is also a time when I attempt to look forward and do some kind
of planning. Some of the things I want to achieve are like old friends;
we have met at this time each year, but never got much further
than this. Maybe this year will be different! Some things are quite
exciting and challenging, some things are quite daunting and even
a bit frightening. I
would challenge you to look back at 2006 and see what events
have shaped your life, it may be something that is very big, something
that you would love to relive or maybe even something you would rather
forget all about. But look at each experience and see
how it has moved you on from the person you were this time last year.
Very few people stand in the same place. Try
as best you can to look forward. What are the big challenges
this year, what would you like the picture to look like when you imagine
yourself at the threshold of 2008? Maybe you have ideas about where you
would like the Church to be, if you have, please share them either with
me or one of the stewards. At
the beginning of this New Year. we have two options, stay as we are, or
move to new and exciting places. Have
a happy and successful New Year Derek | ||
