Crossways Edition 15

Christmas 2015

Peace and Goodwill to All

Hi Readers Welcome to this edition of Crossways. The theme is goodwill to all as some of the poems and articles will suggest. As I write all the signs are pointing to this being another exciting Christmas and New Year. With God’s grace we have a new Minister. The Circuit is having positive talks with regards to Reshaping for Mission and we have been informed on how this will be achieved.

There are messages from our Ministers. In the following pages there is information on all of the Circuit churches’ Christmas activities. Oh! There will also be some poems and other Christmas bits so please give this edition of Crossways your full attention as if you don’t already. God bless you all and may you have a meaningful Advent, a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

JBP

Since this has been written we have had the terrible happenings in Paris so I have included a hymn by Andrew Pratt which has been amended to reflect on the recent atrocities.

A message from GarethNear my home in the Eastern Valley of Gwent is the mining museum Big Pit in Blaenafon. If you take the tour, led by former miners, you are given a helmet with a lamp on the front and step into a lift to go 90 metres down into the shaft.

Water drips and most of the tunnels are just too low to stand upright –even for me at barely 5ft 6in.

At one point the guide asks everyone to turn off their lights and, for a few moments, you stand in total darkness while recalling tales of children as young as five who worked underground in that absolute blackout.

A sobering experience.

It could be argued that we know a lot about light. We know that lightbends and refracts; that it has amazing properties; that lasers can be used to repair sight. We know many things.

But at heart we only need to remember one simple thing: darkness and light are so different. Being in a dark place is not good as the historic testimonies of pit workers, some of them girls as young as five, bear witness.

One of the most powerful readings we hear at Christmas comes in the superb opening to the Gospel of John:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem was the signal that God had spoken into the darkness and given all people a new hope. Not just a baby but a Saviour. Not just a child but a King.

My prayer is that we will all experience something of that hope for ourselves this Christmas and know the light of Christ in our hearts and families.

With every blessingGarethThe Revd Gareth Hill

Dear Friends, (from the Revd Chris Jones)In many branches of the Christian Church, including some Methodist traditions, certain colours are associated with certain seasons of the church's year. For example the season of Christmas and Easter is marked by white, and some ministers (myself included) wear stoles of that colour at that season. In ordinary time, the usual colour is green but it is red for Pentecost and other celebrations. I feel it is important to use our visual senses as well as other senses in worship.

Others do not adopt the use of these liturgical colours; that is fine, because one of the strengths of Methodism is that we are a broad Church with a wide range of views on a number of subjects. One example of our diversity is the wide range of viewpoints over the provision of marriage for those whose intimate relationships are with the same rather than the opposite gender. What is important in these differing opinions is that we are united by a shared desire to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. That is because we have encountered Jesus in our own lives and want to share that good news with others. Through our shared love of Christ, we respect those with views differing from our own.

But to return to liturgical colours.....The season of Lent is marked by purple, the colour of repentance and sorrow for our sinful lives. But what I find to be salutary is that the four Sundays of Advent are also traditionally marked by purple. In other words, as we prepare for Christmas, our first thoughts should not be of preparations for celebrations but of self-examination about the contrast between our selfish lives and the greatest gift of all, the birth of Jesus Christ. I had one friend, a Methodist minister, who gave up alcohol for Advent as a spiritual discipline just as he did during Lent.

As Christians in modern society where preparations for Christmas seem to start earlier every year, I don't think we are called to be kill-joys while everybody else is enjoying the run up to Christmas. We are not expected to be Scrooge-like saying "Bah Humbug”. However, it would be a very helpful spiritual discipline to spend some time reflecting prayerfully on our walk with God in daily living. If we

prepare ourselves spiritually before Christmas, then the celebrations will be even more meaningful and joyful when it arrives!

Have a good Advent and a very Happy Christmas.

Christopher G. T. JonesActing Superintendent Minister

Christmas Arrangements 2015 at Cadnam.

Saturday 5TH DecemberFurzy Gardens 5:00pm - Charity entrance fee

Saturday 12th

Carol Singing at Forest Edge Rest Home. 2:30pmCarol Singing at Cadnam Garden Centre. 3:30pm

Sunday 13th

Carol service at Minstead Lodge. 5:00pm

Wednesday 16th

Carol Singing around the Local Inns. Meet at Church Car Park 6:45pm.

Sunday 20th

Carol Service Followed by Tea. 4:00pm

Friday 25th

Christmas Day Service. 9:30am

Hopeless to help in this violence, this crisis (hymn)Andrew Pratt has written a hymn of reflection in response to the French shootings of 7-9 January 2015, which he has added to following the tragic events of 13 November 2015:

Hopeless to help in this violence, this crisis,here in the focus of bloodshed and fear,common humanity binds us together,love at the centre, not hatred's veneer.

History repeats in a city of beauty,here amid elegance: danger's embrace.Love is our purpose when those filled with hatredbreak down relationships, nullify grace.

Give me your hand, then let peace grow between us,let us rebuild what distrust might destroy.Now in this moment we'll make a commitment,love is the weapon we'll use and deploy.

� Andrew Pratt 13 November 2015reproduced from the Singing the Faith Plus website

Visit to Hilfield FriaryEarlier this year, several members of Romsey Methodist Church paid a visit to Hilfield Friary near Dorchester. The Franciscan Community at Hilfield consists of both vowed Franciscan Brothers of the Anglican Society of St. Francis, and also lay members and their families, who seek to nurture and share the Franciscan values of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, the Community offers hospitality to people of different faiths or of no acknowledged faith, and works for a more gentle and respectful care for the earth. The Community currently numbers some 30 people in total – of all ages!

The Friary nestles behind a wooded ridge between the two main roads leading north from Dorchester. The various buildings give the impression of a small, peaceful village (adjacent to a privately owned farm) on a lane going nowhere in particular, set amongst meadowland, natural and ornamental woodland with “secret” gardens, pathways and places for private meditation. There are vegetable, fruit and ornamental gardens, animal husbandry areas, a small cemetery – and, thoroughly up-to-date, a building housing a newly-commissioned woodchip-fuelled boiler for the heating system serving the whole Community site. There is an abundant supply of wood from pine trees in nearby local authority-owned woodland, which is now being properly managed after some years of neglect, the Friary boiler providing an economic incentive to do this. The Friary aims at self-sufficiency insofar as is feasible and keenly supports local producers and suppliers.

On our arrival we were warmly welcomed by Brother Sam. First priority was a cup of tea and a relaxed time in the garden and the warm and spacious Recreation Room while Sam told us the story of the Friary, later walking round the site with us. He described to us the daily pattern of Community life with its four acts of worship and essential domestic, administrative and other community work to which all contribute. All are welcome to worship with the Community and we shared in the midday Eucharist, then later on, after a communal tea

with homemade bread and jam, Evensong just before we left for home.

Baking and cooking, cleaning, looking after the animals, growing the vegetables, being attentive to needs of guests and visitors and staffing the Friary shop; all these tasks are shared out, often with one of the Community members taking the lead for a while, e.g. Br Sam was the baker, Br Hugh the cook and Br Vincent’s special delight was the care and development of the secret garden and his beloved magnolias. Member Richard was responsible for the vegetable garden and establishing an ecologically sound and appropriately Franciscan relationship with “Brother Soil and Sister Slug”.

Despite the genuine peace and tranquillity of the Friary, it is in fact a very busy place. Many courses, conferences, retreats and other events covering a wide range of topics take place throughout the year’s very full programme, some just for a day, others residential for longer periods. This year an overall theme is that of climate change, looking towards the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris during December. Other days are more individual, spiritual and reflective, others help develop craft skills and there are two week-long camping events. All courses and events enable participants to share in the rhythm and life of the Community to the extent that people wish.

We left for home rather reluctantly, having enjoyed a memorable and inspiring day, sincere thanks being due to Brother Sam and the other Community members for their welcome and hospitality.

John Read

THE NATIVITY

Was it necessaryto go to this extremeTo take for a carriera village girlunmarried and disgraced,nine months pregnanton an exhausting journeyto a strange townwith nowhere to stay,in a century with no healthcareor sanitation?

What purpose was achieved, except to showhow the weight of his (God) loveis so exhaustingit will break the backof our most stubborn pretentionsand how in a mangerwould be the last straw to do it?

Poem by Godfrey RustÄ Godfrey Rust, www.wordsout.co.uk, all rights reserved.

Nomansland Christmas Arrangements

Advent Presentation by the Wellow Wood GroupWednesday December 2nd

Carol Walk Saturday December 19th 10am to 12noon.

Meeting at Landford Methodist and walking to Nomansland Methodistsinging carols on the way, with coffee and mince pies at Nomansland

.Chapel Carol Service

Sunday December 20th starting at 11am.with readings and carols chosen by the congregation

Candlelit Carol SingingMonday December 21st starting at 6.30pm until 7pm

outside Nomansland ChapelBuffet Supper afterwards inside the chapel

New Years Day Walk Friday 1st January Starting at Landford Chapel at 2pm

“You do make regular backups, don’t you!”These were the words in my last article that provoked the most comments (OK, all the comments). So in this edition I want to encourage you to start making backups. Hard disk failures and virus disasters are more common than you think and they don’t just happen to other people.

If you haven’t already got one, get yourself something to hold the backup. An external hard drive is by far the best but if you use USB memory you should save a duplicate backup to two sticks because these devices are not very reliable. DVDs are an option but they are slow and laborious.

Copy your files (photos, music, documents etc.) onto a folder on the external drive or use the software built into Windows. Don’t use other software, such as the one that comes with an external hard disk, because you might not be able to recover your data after a disaster.

Store your backup where burglars won’t find it. Consider taking an additional backup and leaving it with a relative.

If you are using Windows 7, 8 or 10, you should, in addition, create a system image backup. This will enable you to quickly get your PC working again if you have a hard disk failure or a virus disaster. There isn’t room here to go into the details of creating a backup but if you have any questions, please contact me on 01794 522394. The most important thing about backing up is that you do it!

Alan Clark

Thanks for Everything, Graham!

News of Graham Wigmore’s decision to stand down as Circuit Treasurer on 1st December took us all by surprise. He has been at the heart of our Circuit’s life and work for so long that we are finding it hard to imagine how we will manage without the benefit of his leadership and expertise.

Graham’s apprenticeship in church finances began in the late 1970s when, under the watchful eye of the then Superintendent and Minister, the Revd Sam Connolly, he was appointed as the Church Treasurer of our little Methodist chapel at Timsbury. He continued in this role, as well as being the organist, until Timsbury closed in 1983-4. At that time, Graham’s church membership was transferred to Romsey. However, over the years, many in the wider Circuit have come to regard him as an ‘unofficial member’ of their churches too -because of the way in which he has been a bedrock of support and encouragement for them.

Graham became a Circuit Steward with responsibility for finance in 1996, following the resignation of Morris Beal, Morris’ professional expertise as an accountant and his experience as a Connexional Treasurer made him an ideal mentor for Graham as he set about learning the intricacies of his new role. In the twenty years since then he has become an accomplished practitioner - not only with his careful and accurate book-keeping but also in helping us all to be faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

Graham is renowned and respected as a Circuit Treasurer throughout the Southampton Methodist District and more widely in the Connexion. Over the years he has established a good working rapport with the staff in the finance department of Methodist Church House in London and has used his numerous contacts to keep up to date with the practical implications of the many changes in Church and government financial legislation and regulations.

Graham has been so much more to us than a Circuit Treasurer / Circuit Steward. He has given major input to several of our churches as they

have undertaken major building schemes and been readily available for day to day advice and practical help. He has also taken an active role in the day to day care of the Circuit manse and been diligent in ensuring that the needs of the resident minister have been dealt with promptly.

Those of us who have worked closely with Graham over the years have come to value his colleagueship and support at a personal level. We offer him our heartfelt thanks - we honour him for his deep sense of commitment to Christ and his Church - and we wish him well for the future.

Marilyn Pack

Thank You, Alan!Following his recent retirement as Circuit Steward for the Romsey Methodist Circuit we want to thank Alan Westmore for the enthusiasm and concern with which he served, despite a demanding work load, recent health problems and, of course, his commitment to his family.

As one of the team of Circuit Stewards since 2011, Alan contributed insights arising from his roots in the countryside. He knows the community well not least because of being a postman and doing the postal round in and around the village, and having served as a Parish Councillor and School Governor. He is a member of our Landford Methodist Church in which he has served as a Church Steward for nearly 30 years and therefore has a feel for the importance of the local church within the Circuit. As a parent he has a deep concern for the needs of young people within and beyond the life of the church.

Thank you, Alan, and thank you Deirdre also for all your loving support of your husband. We hope that you will be long with us in the fellowship at Landford and also within the wider life and work of the Methodist Church.

Eric Renouf

Christmas at WellowChristingle Service Dec.13th 3:30pm.

Wellow Village Hall (Aimed esp. for infant aged children)

Refreshments after

Carols by Candlelight Dec.24th 11:15pmWellow Church

The views expressed in Crossways are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Methodist ChurchYour contributions make the magazine. Keep them coming…Let us know your personal e-mail address to receive Crossways online. Theme for next issue: Changes – Spring to SummerNews of circuit events welcome too. We reserve the right to edit copy to fit the space available.Contacts: Contributions by Tuesday, March 1st, 2016 Jene.b.pelletier@gmail.com or alan@virtualromsey.co.uk by e-mail, or post to 36 Brokenford Lane, Totton, SO4 09DW