You'll never walk alone

Here's the sermon I shared this morning at St Mary Magdalene Great Burstead:

I wonder if you knew that You’ll Never Walk Alone, along with other songs from musicals, has been included as a hymn in the BBC’s hymn book. Ian Barclay commenting on this in The Guardian wrote that the Songs of Praise programme producers have come to realise that secular songs from shows have taken on some on the status of folk hymns, addressing the spiritual and pastoral needs of many people. Taken out of its context in Carousel, where it is sung by a dead father who has returned to life for one day to the daughter he never knew, it can be sung as a statement of belief that, as Psalm 23 states, God will be with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death or through the storms of life.

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on, through the wind
Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Our Gospel reading (Matthew 8: 23 – end) speaks about two storms and two different ways in which God is with people in those storms. The disciples in the boat on Lake Galilee experienced a literal storm but they were also caught up in an event of set of external circumstances that were beyond their control. And that is probably the most common way in which we experience storms within our own lives.

Circumstances conspire to bring illness or redundancy or debt or breakdown in relationships. We may have made choices that have contributed to the situation – just as the disciples made the choice to go out in the boat – but we end up by finding ourselves in circumstances that are beyond our control and which threaten to overwhelm us.

The storm in the story of the two men in Gadara is different because for them the storm is not external but internal. Many of us experience periods of mental ill health when we feel overwhelmed by feelings and emotions, fears and anxieties which rage inside and threaten to overwhelm us. For some of us, the storm of those emotions becomes a more permanent feature of our lives and begins to affect the way in which we relate to others and the extent to which we are able to participate in society. For some, too, the things we use initially to bring some relief from those emotions – drink, drugs, sex, violence – also end up controlling our reactions and responses and ultimately change who we are as people. The two men in this story seem to have been experiencing that kind of internal storm.

We tend to think of storms as something to avoid, something to hide or shelter from but in both of these stories God is there in the storm. Although the storm is stilled on the lake and the internal storm released from the men in Gadara, the encounter with God takes place in the storm. To encounter God, we often need to be in the storms of life. And the God that we encounter in the storms of life goes with us through those storms until we find ourselves on the other side. That is the promise of You’ll never walk alone and of Psalm 23; even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for God is with us; his rod and your staff, they comfort us.

The God that we encounter in the storm can release the internal storm from with us. In times of crisis and distress we often keep our emotions bottled up inside us until eventually they explode in anger and violence. The God that we meet in the storm can be an escape valve, the person that we can always turn to, the one who is always there to listen and with whom we can pour out all those pent-up emotions releasing the storm within.

The God that we encounter in the storm is also able to still the storm of external circumstances. He holds that power and that is what we often long when we are caught up in the storms of life. I experienced that power after my younger brother Nick died in the crash of a UN plane in Kosovo. With the families of others who had died I was flown to the crash site and saw the scattered and shattered pieces of the plane on the mountainside. That terrible moment brought home the physical reality of what had happened to my brother. It was the height of the storm for me. On landing again at Pristina Airport I was met by some of the people from Tear Fund with whom Nick had been working in Kosovo to rebuild homes destroyed in the fighting there. They told me stories of the impact that Nick had had on their lives and the lives of the Kosovan people with whom they had worked. As we talked and cried together, God brought an assurance into my heart that he had welcomed Nick into his presence with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful son” and in this way I knew the stilling of the storm.

The God that we encounter in the storm is also able to still the storm of external circumstances. And yet, Jesus was disappointed with the reaction of disciples in the storm on Lake Galilee. “How little faith you have,” is what he said to them. What would have happened if they had had more faith? It is likely that they would have rode out the storm in trust that God would see them through. It is likely that Jesus was asleep in the boat not because he didn’t care about their dilemma but because he trusted that God would go with them through the storm and wanted them to have that same trust too.

We may be in the middle of some storm ourselves today as we sit and listen. We may need the internal storm in our lives to be released in peace. We may have come through storms in our lives but still be bearing the scars or wondering where God was at that time. We may need to take this message to our hearts because there are storms on the horizon. If that is so, we need to know in our hearts that we do not walk alone. That if we look for him we will see God going with us through the storm. That if we trust him we will come to that place of peace where the storm clouds have blown over and we see the golden sky and hear the sweet, silver song of the lark.

Let us pray that we will recognise God with us in the storms of our lives asking for the faith to come through the storm, for release of our internal storms, and for the stilling of our external storms. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.

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Katherine Jenkins - You'll Never Walk Alone.

As we cry out in grief God meets us

Here's the reflection I shared in tonight's Commemoration of the Departed Service at St Andrew’s Wickford:

Psalm 23 is a picture of life. Our lives contain both times of refreshment and joy – those times by the still waters and in the green pastures – and times of trial and loss – as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. These times of joy and times of trial are our common experience of life. But this Psalm says more. It says that God is with us in all of these experiences. He leads us beside the still waters and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. He can do this because in Jesus he has experienced human life for himself. God understands and will be alongside us in our grief.

How can that be, particularly when grief involves a whole mix of different emotions at different times – anger, sadness, love, guilt and numbness – which mean that it is a very individual experience? All we can really do, as a result, is to share our experiences of how it has been for us. That is what Alfred Tennyson did in his poem ‘In Memoriam’, a sequence of lyric poems written over a 17-year period which comprise a requiem for the poet's beloved Cambridge friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage in Vienna in 1833. Tennyson then wrote memorably again on the subject of death in ‘Crossing the Bar’ after he had survived a serious illness. Shortly before he died, Tennyson told his son, whom he had tellingly named Hallam, to "put 'Crossing the Bar' at the end of all editions of my poems." Just as Tennyson memorably shared his experience of God with him in his grief, I would like to do the same.

My younger brother, Nick Evens, died on 11th November 1999 in a plane crash in Kosovo. He was on a UN commissioned plane taking relief workers into Kosovo to work on reconstructing the country following the conflict there. Nick was part of Tearfund’s Disaster Response Team. He had been in Kosovo working with Kosovan villagers to rebuild homes, had returned home for a short break, and was then returning to continue work on the rebuilding programme.

The plane went off course as it neared Pristina Airport and crashed in nearby mountains. I remember taking a phone call from my parents who had been notified that contact had been lost with the plane and feeling absolutely unable to accept or comprehend the news. This was something that simply could not be happening.

My father and I were flown to Rome by Tearfund to wait for news together with the families of the other 23 people who died in the crash. After a few days we were flown to Kosovo to see the crash site for ourselves. On arrival at Pristina Airport, we were loaded into helicopters and flown the short distance into the mountains and over the site of the wreckage. This was the worst moment for each one of us. As we saw the small pieces of the plane strewn over the mountainside, we knew exactly what had happened to our loved ones and were faced full-on with the reality of their death.

When we returned to Pristina Airport, some refreshments had been organised for us in a tent and members of Tearfund who had worked with Nick had travelled to the Airport to be with us. We sat and listened as they told us about the effect that Nick had had on the Kosovan people with whom he had worked and also on other members of the team as they had valued his friendship, support and advice. As they talked, the tears flowed; theirs and ours and, I believe, God’s as he was with us at the time enabling us to express our grief. But, as they talked, I also had a growing sense that Nick had gone into God’s presence and had been welcomed with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In that moment I glimpsed something of the glory into which Nick had entered and that glimpse continues to sustain and strengthen me in my loss.

Over subsequent days, I heard many more stories of the way in which Nick’s life had influenced others and, over the years since, I have seen the way in which the inspiration he provided has led others to continue the work that he began. Young people whose lives were turned around through the youth project that Nick worked for have continued his youth work and his charitable work in Uganda while Nick’s involvement with Tearfund inspired another member of our family to join their Disaster Response Team. In these ways, the stories about Nick that begun to be told at Pristina Airport have continued to be told and in the telling my sense that God is alongside me in my grief and that Nick has been welcomed into glory has grown.

My experience of grief suggests that it is as we cry out in our grief that God meets with us. He is alongside us through his Spirit and will speak for us in groans that words cannot express. We should not be afraid of tears, of memories or of stories, as they are an expression of the love we feel. As we share our grief together, we may catch a glimpse of the glory that waits to be revealed to us and into which our loved ones have entered and that glimpse can sustain us as we re-enter our everyday lives. In these and other ways God offers to lead us through the times of trial until we come to live with him forever.

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Delirious? - Find Me In The River.

The ravaged body of Christ in the context of the AIDS crisis

Today I took an assembly at St Edward's Church of England School and Sixth Form College on the theme of yesterday's World Aids Day:

Marcus Reichert's Crucifixions have been described as being among the most disturbing painted in the 20th century. One critic said of them, 'The image of an isolated human being in the process of being annihilated by the world and his own anxiety is one that speaks to every person.’

They were painted by Reichert after a friend had died from Aids and they were first exhibited as a group as part of a touring exhibition to benefit AIDS services in the American South. Reichert said, ‘The Jesus I painted didn't have AIDS … [but] it wasn't altogether a coincidence that this ravaged body of Christ would be there in the context of the AIDS crisis.’ To understand why that may be, it is helpful to think about another painting.
   

This is the crucifixion by Matthais Grunewald, part of the many-panelled Isenheim Altarpiece, which was commissioned for the Antonite monastery at Isenheim and was intended to give support to patients in the monastic hospital. Christ appears hideous, his skin swollen and torn as a result of the flagellation and torture that He endured. Because he worked in the hospital, Grunewald based his image of suffering on the patients whose torments he witnessed. These were mostly sufferers from skin diseases, which were common at the time.

So this was a powerful image in this hospital where those suffering from skin complaints could see God entering into the same suffering that they themselves were experiencing. And that is the central meaning of the crucifixion; that God comes into the suffering and sinfulness of the world taking it onto himself so that we can be set free from suffering and sin.

As Christians, we are called to love others in the same way. Yet some churches have been unwilling to become involved in work with those affected by HIV and AIDS. Usually this is because HIV is wrongly viewed as punishment from God on individual people who engage in ungodly behaviour. In some places, people who are known to be living with HIV are not welcome in churches. However, as we have seen, Jesus came to save sinners – like us. We must show grace, love and compassion to all people with the hope that they will become open to being transformed by Jesus. Churches should be doing something positive to respond to HIV and AIDS in the light of Jesus’ commandment to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself ’ (Luke 10:27).

More than 34 million people in the world have HIV; over 22 million live in Africa. The global HIV epidemic is most keenly felt in the poorest countries of the world. 90% of new HIV infections happen in poor countries, and 7,500 people die each day as a result of HIV and related illnesses. The disease is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa with approximately 3,600 people dying every day from AIDS.

Churches and Christians are among those tackling this situation and making a difference. For example, Tearfund partner Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) trains church volunteers to train family members in Zimbabwe to care for sick relatives. One-to-one meetings were first held with church leaders to win their support. Once the pastors had been envisioned they invited FACT staff to speak at church services, fellowship group meetings and introduce activities on HIV and AIDS in church youth group meetings. Once awareness had been raised, invitations were sent to churches to recruit volunteers for training. Within one year 125 volunteers had received training. The home care project, which used to reach 5% of those who needed home care support, now reaches 24%.

Let us pray: Loving and caring God, thank you, for You call us to love and serve Your people and you call those who care for victims of HIV/AIDS to be healing hands in Your hurting world. You send them to show compassion, to suffer with those who suffer. Day and night they labour to comfort Your people, often neglecting their own health and families in the HIV/AIDS struggle. Forgive us when we deal lightly with the wounds of Your people. Forgive our silence. Forgive our complicity. In Your mercy forgive our condemnation of people living with HIV/AIDS. May we demand drugs for the sick. May we demand care for the abandoned. May we denounce wastefulness by the affluent. Make us instruments of Your peace. Make us agents of Your transformation. Amen.

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Elton John - Song for Guy.

Intensified Chaos

My brother Nick was in a punk band called Intensified Chaos (great name!) in his teens so was really interested to find out recently that Mike Osmond, the band's drummer, has posted memories of the band and Nick on the blog of his current band, The Painkillers. Tim Hawley, also from Intensified Chaos and The Painkillers, gave the family the link and has added some of his memories to Mike's post.

I only saw Intensified Chaos once, at The Blue Angel Islington. As a very square student with my church mates, we felt very out of place amongst the crowd of gobbing punks and only stayed to hear the band and talk to Nick but really enjoyed their set. Tim remembers the gig like this (I assume it's the same gig): "SKUNX (the Angel pub at Islington) supporting Blitz. They refused to pay us and Mackie from Blitz gave us a fiver out of pity. Nice bloke. We were waiting to see some guy from Sounds, but no one we recognised turned up….but someone must’ve been there as the following review came out “a chorus of Ooh Arrs greeted Intensified Chaos when they admitted to coming from Somerset, but apart from their silly voices they were a bland bunch”. Could’ve been worse I s’pose.."

The band's only released recording was, I think, a track called 'Waste Away' on the Wet Dreams compilation album. Tim writes that this was essentially Nick's song and says just listen to the lyrics and remember when his day job was making garage doors.

Nick went on from Intensified Chaos to become a Royal Engineer. He joined 59 Independant Squadron and Royal Marine Commandos and trained as a sports instructor and joint service mountain leader before becoming a detatched youth worker for the Aston Community Youth Project. With the Youth Project, he organised the expedition to climb Mount Elgon in Uganda which led to the formation of the charity now known as Rejuvenate Worldwide. Nick also worked for the Fire Service and The Prince's Trust before joining Tear Fund's Disaster Response Team and going to Kosovo where he lost his life. More of his story can be read by clicking here, here and here.

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The Painkillers.

The paradox of death

When we grieve, we can feel a whole mix of different emotions at different times – anger, sadness, love, guilt and numbness. So we can probably identify easily with the writer of Lamentations (Lamentations 3. 17-26, 31-33) when he talks on the one hand of being deprived of peace, afflicted and bitter, but, on the other hand, talks about the faithfulness of God and waiting quietly for salvation.

Henry Scott Holland, a Canon of St Pauls Cathedral to whom the poem ‘Death is not the end’ is credited, said something similar in the sermon from which the poem is taken. In this sermon Holland examines the all pervading contradiction that everyone of us faces in times of death. On the one hand there is the terror of the inexplicable – death is cruel, untoward and irrational – but, on the other hand, there is the inner conviction of personal continuity which death cannot destroy, the feeling that 'death is nothing at all.' Both experiences are real and somehow must be held together in our consciousness.

How can we do this? Well, like any of us, I can only talk from my own experience. My younger brother, Nick Evens, died on 11th November 1999 in a plane crash in Kosovo. He was on a UN commissioned plane taking relief workers into Kosovo to work on reconstructing the country following the conflict there. Nick was part of Tearfund’s Disaster Response Team. He had been in Kosovo working with Kosovan villagers to rebuild homes, had returned home for a short break, and was returning to continue work on the rebuilding programme.

The plane went off course as it neared Pristina Airport and crashed in nearby mountains. I remember taking a phone call from my parents who had been notified that contact had been lost with the plane and feeling absolutely unable to accept or comprehend the news. This was something that simply could not be happening.

My father and I were flown to Rome by Tearfund to wait for news together with the families of the other 23 people who died in the crash. After a few days we were flown to Kosovo to see the crash site for ourselves. On arrival at Pristina Airport we were loaded into helicopters and flown the short distance into the mountains and over the site of the wreckage. This was the worst moment for each one of us. As we saw the small pieces of the plane strewn over the mountainside we knew exactly what had happened to our loved ones and were faced full-on with the reality of their death.

When we returned to Pristina Airport, some refreshments had been organised for us in a tent and members of Tearfund who had worked with Nick had travelled to the Airport to be with us. We sat and listened as they told us about the effect that Nick had had on the Kosovan people with whom he had worked and also on other members of the team as they had valued his friendship, support and advice. As they talked, the tears flowed; theirs and ours and, I believe, God’s as he was with us at the time enabling us to express our grief. But, as they talked, I also had a growing sense that Nick had gone into God’s presence and had been welcomed with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In that moment I glimpsed something of the glory into which Nick had entered and that glimpse continues to sustain and strengthen me in my loss.

Over subsequent days, I heard many more stories of the way in which Nick’s life had influenced others and over the years since I had seen the way in which the inspiration he provided has led others to continue the work that he began. Young people whose lives were turned around through the youth project that Nick worked for have continued his youth work and his charitable work in Uganda while Nick’s involvement with Tearfund inspired another member of our family to join their Disaster Response Team. In these ways, the stories about Nick that begun to be told at Pristina Airport have continued to be told and in the telling my sense that Nick has been welcomed into glory has grown.

Out of the paradox of pain of grief and the assurance of Nick’s life continuing in God’s presence, I wrote this poem about Nick and Christ:

No, Lord, no. This word I will not hear.
No, Lord, no. This word I cannot bear.

My brother’s body lies on the stones strewn mountainside,
my mind alert to realities it cannot admit.
His body lifeless, broken by Kosovan heights,
my body alive to the stabbing pain of his loss.
My blood racing in my veins,
My heart pounding like a jack hammer,
My tears gusting like gale lashed squalls,
My tongue spilling out the word, no.

You gave up all, becoming a no-thing.
You offered up all, giving your life.
You spoke the word, forsaken.
You lived the offering, sacrifice.
On your flayed back was the torture instrument carried.
On your forehead was the round of razors rammed.
In the place of your skull was the pain of the iron piercings.
In place of life immortal was the path of the damned.
In place of Man, you placed yourself.
In place of God, my brother lives.

At the foot of the mountain is the telling of tales,
stories recounted of the one who is gone.
In the mountain’s shadow tales told are bitter-sweet,
memories recover the one who is gone.
To speak of the dead is bitter.
The telling of takes amplifies loss.
To speak of the dead is sweet.
The telling of tales confirms love.

Yes, Lord, yes. This word I will hear.
Yes, Lord, yes. This word I will bear.

My experience of grief suggests that it is as we cry out in our grief that God meets with us. He is alongside us through his Spirit and will speak for us in groans that words cannot express. We should not be afraid of tears, of memories, of stories, they are an expression of the love we feel. But as we share our grief together we may catch a glimpse of the glory that waits to be revealed to us and into which our loved ones have entered and that glimpse can sustain us as we re-enter our everyday lives.

My experience of grief suggests that it is as we cry out in our grief that God meets with us. He is alongside us through his Spirit and will speak for us in groans that words cannot express. We should not be afraid of tears, of memories, of stories, they are an expression of the love we feel. But as we share our grief with others we can also catch a glimpse of the glory that waits to be revealed to us and into which our loved ones have entered and that glimpse will sustain us as we deal with grief in our everyday lives.

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Aretha Franklin - Precious Lord.

The Wave (2)

Tearfund report that:

"An estimated 50,000 people dressed in blue, encircling Parliament and calling on the government to take action for a strong climate deal, isn't an everyday sight.

But it was an inspiring one. So was 3,000 Christians praising and worshipping our God of justice in Central Hall, Westminster and the thousands who took to the streets of Glasgow and Belfast.

Today, Christians from around the UK came together to act justly and march humbly for God and for His poorest and most vulnerable children across the world, already suffering the effects of a changing climate.

Changing the world is a long process that requires perseverance, grace and the power of God's Holy Spirit. But it can also be fun! If you made it out today, we hope you had a fantastic time surrounded by people passionate about justice. And if you couldn't be there but prayed for The Wave, thank you.

Click here for pictures and coverage from the day and to find yourself in the sea of blue. If you were there we'd also love to hear from you - tell us how you got on at campaigning@tearfund.org.

Next stop, Copenhagen! Get ready for updates from the two weeks of climate talks and keep praying for a strong and fair deal."

Click here for more photos from the St Johns Seven Kings group at The Wave.

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Ben Harper - Better Way.

The Wave

UK climate negotiators are off to crucial talks in Copenhagen next week. And what better send-off than thousands of passionate people dressed in blue encircling Parliament. That's what our Peace & Justice committee at St Johns Seven Kings think and they will be meeting at the church at 9.30am on Saturday 5 December in order to travel into Central London together to take part.

We want our message of climate justice to be ringing in the governments' ears, reminding them to seal a strong and fair deal for the world's poorest people. That's why Tearfund, among others, are joining with the Stop Climate Chaos coalition for The Wave church service and march this Saturday, 5 December.

The day will look like this ...

11am: Church service at Central Hall, Westminster, SW1H 9NH, central London (opposite Westminster Abbey). From there we will walk together to join the march. Maps will be provided on the day.

1pm: March leaves Grosvenor Square. Assemble there if you can't make it to the service.

3pm: Encircling of parliament followed by tea and cakes with Tearfund at the Mothers Union, Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton St, SW1P 3RB

Or join The Wave in Glasgow and Belfast city centre on the same day.

To get in the mood, why not take e-action from Tearfund's website. Also please pray for The Wave, the climate talks and the people most affected by climate change.

Oxfam say, "These marches are the best chance we have to tell the UK government and world leaders that we care about what is agreed at the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December."

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The Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby.

Lob a loo roll

To hit any target, we must aim accurately and ambitiously. But world leaders have lost their focus when it comes to meeting water and sanitation goals. These goals won't be met by chance. A determined effort is needed, and you can help.

One fun way to raise your voice on this issue is to lob a loo roll. The aim of the game is to hit the centre target, get the loo roll in the toilet, and work your way up the leaderboard. How does loo roll change the world? Once you've played, be sure to send your message to the Prime Minister, calling on him to take extraordinary action and be a water and sanitation champion. Then tell your friends to play too to get the message across loud and clear!

Tearfund, who have produced the game, also have a free Make life flow church pack. In it you'll find a quick start guide, a church leaders' booklet, a small groups booklet, a DVD, a poster, and personal response leaflets helping you to campaign, pray and give.

To get global water and sanitation goals back on track we need to make a concentrated effort. Join Tearfund to raise the voice of the global church and call on world leaders to refocus and champion water and sanitation for all.

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Gillian Welch - Orphan Girl.

Spiritual Life column

Here is the 'Spiritual Life' column that I have written for the current edition of the Ilford Recorder:

St Johns Seven Kings has just produced a new biannual newsletter about the community activities and events happening in the St John's Centre. More than 300 local people each week attend activities organised by a wide range of community groups including, among others, AA, Brownies, Contact Centre, Downshall Pre-School Playgroup, Kumon Maths, Shine Dance School and Slimming World. We have just organised a well-attended Table-Top Sale, are about to host a Coffee Morning with Redbridge Library Services and, over our Patronal Festival weekend at the beginning of October, will be organising a concert, film showing/takeaway event, and a barn dance. Our members are also actively involved in community groups such as the Redbridge Night Shelter, Redbridge Voluntary Care, Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association and TASK.

St Johns is by no means unique among churches in the range and significance of our community involvements. Earlier this year a report by Tearfund called ‘In the Thick of It’ described the role that local churches are taking around the world in meeting local community needs. Their report pulled together a substantial body of evidence highlighting the value of faith-based organisations in addressing development needs by presenting anecdotal as well as empirical evidence of the contribution that local churches make to the lives of communities. The report states that, as just one example, the Church of England contributes more than 23 million hours of voluntary service per annum.

Churches do this because we are seeking to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who laid down his life for those who were both his friends and his enemies. On the night before he died he explicitly took on the role of a servant and washed his disciples feet before telling them to do the same for others. Churches have always provided many kinds of community service as a direct result of wanting to follow the example set by Jesus.

These practical contributions to community life often go unremarked by others but if churches were not involved in their local communities then much that is provided through the voluntary sector would not happen. Politicians and secularists sometimes question why faith groups should receive public money for community activities and facilities. The answer is right under their noses, if they were only to look for it. Without the community work of the churches and of other faith groups, the voluntary sector and all it provides would be seriously diminished.



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Moby - In This World.

Prayer for Sri Lanka

The following comes from Tearfund and informs our ongoing prayer at St John's Seven Kings for the situation in Sri Lanka:

Fears are growing that the aid operation for people uprooted by Sri Lanka’s civil war will last years not months.

A Tearfund partner working with tens of thousands of those displaced by the long-running conflict anticipates support will be needed for at least three years.

More than 280,000 people have been made homeless in the war between the country’s military and the Tamil Tigers since last October.

Tearfund is supporting local partners who’ve been bringing the compassion of Christ to those in the government-controlled displacement camps of Sri Lanka.

Partners like Leads who’ve been providing for physical needs, like food, water, clothing and hygiene packs. Lately they’ve been building temporary shelters for families, to replace tents, as well as school classrooms, kitchens and medical centres.

The need for more substantial shelter reflects the reality that the Tamil community in the displacement camps faces a lengthy wait before being allowed back to their home areas. This is because the government continues operations in the areas previously held by the Tamil Tigers to search for mines and concealed weapons.

In Vavuniya, Leads is looking to provide agricultural training, seeds for seven varieties of vegetables and organic fertiliser for 1,500 families so they can supplement their diet.

Please use the following points to guide your prayers:

• Please pray that those living in displacement camps are allowed to return to their homes soon and resume their normal lives. Pray that those separated from loved ones by the war are reunited with their families.
• Pray for funding to continue that will enable Tearfund to maintain support for our Sri Lankan partners.
• Pray for the blessing of their work as they bring spiritual and material hope to Sri Lankans who have in many cases lost family, friends, homes and possessions.
• Give thanks that the Sri Lankan authorities are enabling partners such as Leads to continue their work. Praise God that partners are improving facilities in government-controlled camps.
• Pray for the strength and encouragement of partner staff working in difficult conditions, facing considerable emotional strain.

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T Bone Burnett - Earlier Baghdad (The Bounce).

In the Thick of It

This comes from Ekklesia:

"Local churches both in the UK and abroad are key players in international development according to a new report from an aid agency published at the weekend.

'In the Thick of It' describes the role that local churches are taking around the world in meeting local community needs by pulling together a substantial body of evidence highlighting the value of faith-based organisations in addressing development needs."

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The Kinks - Days.

Global recession – praying with purpose

This comes from Tearfund's World Watch Prayer Link:

"The hardships of the recession are being felt from Manchester to Malawi, underlining that this is a truly global problem from which no one is immune.

But for poor communities, those hardships are more painful. The cost is beginning to be counted in lives. Your prayers are needed urgently.

‘This is a disaster waiting to happen – actually it’s begun to happen,’ says Victor Mughogho. ‘Funding is evaporating from poor communities across Malawi.’

Victor is head of Eagles, one of Tearfund’s partners in Malawi, that trains and mobilises local churches to meet the needs around them. He’s working towards our vision – which is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty, through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.

It’s a vision we are fixed on whether in times of recession or prosperity.

That’s why we’re determined not to cut funds that we’ve promised to those we support, particularly as many are already feeling the pinch with the falling value of the pound.

It’s easy for us all to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, but in a position of prayer we regain the right perspective - when we remember that our hope lies in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please use the following points to guide your prayers:

• Pray for a swift end to the global recession and the dire effects it is having on people in poverty.
• Pray for God’s blessing on the work of local churches among poor communities, as they share the love of Jesus and fill the material and spiritual gaps in people’s lives.
• Pray for those who are struggling to cope with hunger and are least able to help themselves due to rising food prices.
• Pray God’s provision for those affected by the recession and job losses in the UK, including staff at Tearfund.
• Ask the Lord to bless Tearfund’s ministry despite the recession, that we may remain a beacon of light and hope for millions living in poverty."

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CompassionArt - Until The Day.

One rule for you, one rule for me (2)

This is my response to comments left by Dolgwyn on the original post. There are too many characters, apparently, for them to be posted as a follow on comment so instead I am making them a new post:

Thanks Dolgwyn for your comments. As you might expect, I disagree with much of what you say.

You said, "it may well be worth your checking up on the purpose and mission statement of Anglican Mainstream, before making comments like "This approach makes clear the single issue nature of the Anglican Mainstream agenda". After all, it was established to support/promote/ defend (depending on your POV) traditional orthodox Christian thinking ona variety of issues including, but not exclusively, sexuality."

I am well aware of AM's aim and mission but think that its practice (i.e. its public statements and activities) reveal it to be a group that is primarily concerned with supporting/promoting/defending its views on sexuality (i.e. a single issue organisation).

You wrote, "At the same time,your comment "What she is saying then, is that this one issue, whether a person or organisation is perceived as being 'pro-gay' or supporting those who are 'pro-gay', trumps every other issue and activity including the vital work of mission and relief throughout the world." is, for many, simply a response to what they perceive as the gay agenda's trumping of the very same 'every other issue and vital work' of the church at large.

For several people in society - Christian or not - there is a growing feeling of fear for their safety as government bring in every more legislation that seeks to criminalise any expression of oposition to the shift towards the acdeptance of homosexual relationships."

The legislation that this Government (and previous Governments) have introduced outlaws discrimination and criminal offences motivated by hatred against people on the basis of disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation. The only reason someone would have for "fearing for their safety" from such legislation would be if they were discriminating or committing a criminal offence, or intending to do so. I assume that neither are true of you, so have no idea on what evidence your fear is based.

Nevertheless, feeling such fear does not justify discouraging support for the vital work of mission and relief undertaken by organisations like CMS and Tear Fund. On what basis could it ever be right to say that because I feel afraid of changes regarding sexuality I am justified in trying to discourage support for mission and relief?

You wrote, "What is perhaps even more frightening for some - I know of several myself - is the double standards that soem homosexual campaigners seem to hold - using theology, science and/or socio-anthropological material to support their argument, yet referring to those who use the same disciplines to develop a perfectly rational, logical but opposing argument as bigotted, blinkered, homophobic, narrow-minded, etc.

The fact that some of these folk have spent years studying the evidence before coming to the conclusion they have is ignored or, at worst, dismissed as of no importance."

Pots and kettles come to mind. Lisa Nolland's post describes Gene Robinson as "gay bishop poster boy" with a "sadly amaturish biblical hermeneutic." We have to practice what we preach and much of so-called debate on these issues is sadly little more than the flinging of invective instead of there being a real engagement with the views of those we oppose.

"Finally, in case you haven't been following the AM forum over the years, there is a regular and largely well-balanced debate on this and other issues running most of the time."

This is the list of Recent Posts on the AM site as it stands tonight: 'To the Anglican Communion: Pray, Fast and Resist'; 'Canterbury in a Corner'; 'Episcopals’ First Openly Gay Bishop Speaks'; 'Homosexuality to Heterosexuality: Can the Transition Be Made?'; 'ACI: Committing to the Anglican Communion: Some Will, Others Won’t'; 'Roman Catholic marriage agency advocates gay and unmarried parents'; 'US vote ‘not a snub to Archbishop of Canterbury’'; 'Their Separate Ways'; 'GC2009: Clarity Attained at 76th Episcopal General Convention'; 'A Message from Bishop David Anderson'; 'Why FCA UK and Ireland?'; 'GC 2009: Statement from the deputation of the Diocese of South Carolina:'; 'West Texas bishop drafts ‘Anaheim Statement,’ reaffirms moratoria commitment'; 'Signatures on the Anaheim Statement'; 'Anglicans and Their Unwelcome House Guests'.

The overwhelming majority of these posts are to do with the issue of homosexuality. The AM forum may well debate other issues but issues of sexuality are consistently its dominant agenda. It would be an altogether healthier place if mission and relief work were its primary features, instead of its current preoccupation with sexuality.

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Athlete - Street Map.

One rule for you, one rule for me

Once again posts on the Anglican Mainstream site are attacking a mission and relief agency over association with people or groups that are opposed to discrimination against the homosexual community. Last year Tear Fund was attacked because Desmond Tutu was a speaker at a Tear Fund event, now CMS are criticised for being supporters of the Greenbelt Festival. In both cases, those posting quickly suggest letters of protest and threats of the withdrawal of support if their demands are not met.

To my mind there are several issues with their approach. First, people and organisations are being characterised by those who post on Anglican Mainstream's site as 'pro-gay' as though this were their defining characteristic. A festival like Greenbelt is deliberately designed to be eclectic rather than mono-cultural in order to address a wide range of issues from a variety of different perspectives, yet for those who have posted on Anglican Mainstream's site all of that diversity is viewed through one lens and one lens only i.e. that of whether or not gay Christians are invited to contribute to the Festival. This approach makes clear the single issue nature of the Anglican Mainstream agenda. Such designations can also be applied fairly indiscriminately by such posters before some form of retraction. So, for example, in its orginal form this post included headlining bands Athlete and Royksopp in their 'pro-gay' designations but reference to them has now been removed from the post. Additionally, this is laced with unnecessary invective so that, for example, Gene Robinson is described as a gay poster boy.

Second, on the basis of this single issue those posting are essentially seeking to disrupt the flow of support to key mission and relief organisations. Lisa Nolland's post regarding Tear Fund and Tutu was entitled 'Farewell to Tear Fund?' and stated that she has redirected her sponsorship of a child from Tear Fund to another organisation. In her post on CMS and Greenbelt she urges her readers to contact the Chair and General Secretary of CMS with their concerns. What she is saying then, is that this one issue, whether a person or organisation is perceived as being 'pro-gay' or supporting those who are 'pro-gay', trumps every other issue and activity including the vital work of mission and relief throughout the world. In her view it is acceptable, on the basis of this single issue, to argue that funds for vital relief work should be directed away from Tear Fund and that CMS should be discouraged from engaging with those in its support base who attend Greenbelt and from seeking to broaden its support base for mission through the Festival.

Third, those posting call for other organisations to set up debates on the issue of homosexuality in a way that they are not prepared to do themselves. So, the call is for Greenbelt to "allow equal air time for traditional sexual views" but where are the examples of Anglican Mainstream adopting this approach of affording equal air time to those they oppose? As is often the case when a single issue comes to dominate an organisation's agenda, that organisation expects a privileged position for their own views at the same time as denying that privileged place to their opponents. Until Anglican Mainstream itself affords equal air time to those calling for what they view as 'non-traditional' sexual views, this call is a case of one rule for you, one rule for me.

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Röyksopp - Remind Me.

Keeping up the pressure on the G8

This comes from Tear Fund's World Watch Prayer Link:

"Today is the last day of the G8 summit in Italy and Tearfund’s been there pressing for the needs of the world’s poorest communities.

We’ve been asking representatives from the richest economies - the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Canada and Japan - to remember developing countries in their deliberations.

Tearfund’s working with local church partners on issues such as water and sanitation and climate change, so it’s no surprise they figured prominently in our lobbying at the summit.

With your campaigning support and that of church members far and wide in the weeks running up to the summit, we’ve been urging the UK government to make sure these topics are given proper consideration.

We hope to see G8 leaders commit to help end the scandal that leaves 2.5 billion people without access to sanitation and 900 million people without clean water around the world.

G8 countries are responsible for 62 per cent of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and represent the bulk of the world’s economic activity.

We hope and pray that rich G8 countries seize the opportunity to build momentum towards sealing a strong and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this December.

Please use the following points to guide your prayers:

• Please pray for the G8 to show political courage and true leadership on these vital issues.
• Pray for messages about the needs of developing countries to continue to permeate through political leaderships long after the summit is over and for positive action as a result.
• Give thanks that Tearfund has been able to make the voice of the global church heard at such an important international opinion-forming event.
• Join us on 15 July by spending 15 minutes in prayer for carbon emission cuts at the 15th annual UN climate talks being held this December in Copenhagen."

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Tim Hughes - God Of Justice.

DR Congo conflict requires big response

More news of the troubles in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This time from Tear Fund:

Everything about the Democratic Republic of Congo is big. Physically, the country outsizes Western Europe. It has masses of natural resources including gold, silver and uranium.

But when it comes to politics, its problems are truly gargantuan. Since 1998 more people have died there due to violence, disease or hunger than in any conflict since the Second World War.

Conflict has been stalking the eastern province of North Kivu afresh in recent weeks throwing up a massive amount of misery in its wake.

Some 250,000 people have fled their homes as rebel and government forces have battled it out, killing and injuring countless civilians who have got in their way.

Standing with the people

The local church is also in these affected communities and Tearfund is supporting its humanitarian response through our emergency appeal.

Three long-term partners are working to ease people’s suffering not just physically but psychologically and spiritually.

HEAL Africa, which runs medical and development programmes, is treating the injured and wounded and staff are also distributing food and other essentials in Goma, Rutshuru and Masisi.

Fellow partner PPSSP is looking to use its expertise in providing water and sanitation, two things at a premium for many of the displaced who are living in refugee camps where the word basic does not do justice to the level of facilities.

They are also establishing feeding programmes for children at risk of malnutrition near Goma and in Lubero territory.

Psychological support

Another partner is PEAC, the medical and relief department of the Anglican Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has experience of running health centres. Its people will be working with PPSSP in Lubero on medical care and providing shelter.

In all Tearfund partners are looking to assist 15,000 of the most vulnerable people and the need for their psychological and pastoral support cannot be underestimated.

The country’s combatants have a history of using rape as a weapon of war and the reports of atrocity and torture are already starting to stack up from this latest bout of blood-letting.

The global church is making the case for peace in the face of such horrors. Church leaders from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken their peace message to Joseph Kabila, the latter country’s president.

Yet even if there is peace tomorrow, the legacy of this conflict will take years to deal with, which makes your prayers and support for our work to ease the plight of the long-suffering Congolese people all the more vital.

Prayer & giving

Tearfund has launched an appeal to respond to the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Please give generously. Your money will enable us to help civilians caught in the middle of this conflict. Click here to give.

Pray for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Download our prayer PowerPoint.

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Sublime - Dans Tes Parvis.

Humanitarian crisis spirals in DR Congo

The following comes from Tear Fund:

Staff working with a Tearfund partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s unstable eastern region are reporting a growing humanitarian crisis and evidence of torture.

HEAL Africa, which runs a hospital in the regional capital Goma, is one of the few humanitarian organisations still operating there as intense fighting between rebel and government forces has moved closer to the city.

The rebels, led by Laurent Nkunda, have taken control of several towns in North Kivu province and have advanced to within a few miles of Goma itself.

Their assault has prompted 250,000 people to flee their homes, taking the total of displaced people in North Kivu to more than a million, leading Tearfund and other aid agencies to warn of an unfolding humanitarian disaster.

Despite the rebels declaring a ceasefire, which held over the weekend, tension remains high and getting aid to civilians is difficult.

Casualties

`Food and access to water is a massive issue,’ said Lyn Lusi, of HEAL Africa.

In Goma itself, a degree of normality has returned to the city after last week’s looting by the Congolese army which confined many people to their homes.

HEAL Africa’s medical teams remain safe but have been treating civilian casualties, including victims of torture and banditry.

An entire family were hospitalised after being attacked, with four children left seriously injured and their mother showing evidence of being tortured.

Cruelty

The family reported their attackers had put a grenade under the bed of a sleeping six-year-old. Surgeons have been battling to save the boy’s life and that of his seriously injured older brother.
Lyn added, `We pray they will survive. Such cruelty is incomprehensible. It has nothing to do with war, it is banditry and terrorism.’

In other rebel-controlled areas outside Goma, camps for the displaced have been broken up and people sent back to their villages by force. Lack of food and shelter is a major issue for them.
Tearfund is drawing up plans with partners to respond to the situation with humanitarian aid once the security situation improves.

Enforcing peace

Tearfund’s Disaster Management Director David Bainbridge said, `We are working with our partner agencies to help civilians caught up in this but we need the fighting to stop as soon as possible.

`Both sides are accused of disregarding the rights and safety of civilians and humanitarian access must be a priority.’

He added that the mandate of a 17,000-strong UN peacekeeping force needs to be strengthened to allow it to enforce peace rather than just protect itself.

Tearfund partner projects elsewhere in North Kivu remain unaffected by the fighting, as do the activities of Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team working in South Kivu and Maniema Provinces who are involved in food security, schools reconstruction, water and sanitation provision and public health promotion."

To help Tear Fund's work in this disaster, please click here and for prayer points, click here. Click here to read more about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort.

Climate Change Victory!

Good news received via Tear Fund:

The government have raised the target in the Climate Change Bill, from 60 to 80 per cent emissions cuts by 2050. This is what Tearfund, along with the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, have been campaigning for.

Over the past two years, the local church has been raising its voice as thousands of Tearfund supporters have prayed and written to MPs and Ministers, raising their concerns that the UK was not doing enough about the impact climate change is having on the world's poorest people.
Do take a moment to thank God that our voice has been heard, and pray that it will encourage other high emitting countries to follow in the UK's footprints.

Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, made the announcement yesterday. Tearfund Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: "We are pleased the government has announced a target that matches the science and gives the UK integrity on the international stage. This signals justice for people in the poorest countries who contribute least to carbon emissions, but are bearing the brunt of climate change."

There is still work to do on the Climate Change Bill, but for now it is time to celebrate. Click here for the full announcement.

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Counting Crows - Big Yellow Taxi.

Modern day Donatism

Just a quick post to say that I share Tim Goodbody's frustration with the people at Anglican Mainstream who seem to be encouraging others to move donations from Tear Fund because Desmond Tutu spoke at a recent conference and because long-term Tear Fund supporter Cliff Richard has spoken publicly recently in favour of same-sex relationships.

Tim has a very good post on the topic which can be found here. As he says there, "it's just modern day Donatism - not wanting to be "tainted" by association." Further comment on the Fulcrum website can be found here.

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Carly Simon - You're So Vain.

Talk about toilets

Today tearfund are launching their new campaign on Water and Sanitation which aims to mobilise the church to help bring sanitation and water to all. Over the next few years they hope we'll join in helping 'justice flow like a river'.

Right now, over a third of the world is still waiting for somewhere safe and decent to go to the loo. While we sit comfortably, millions are suffering needlessly from illnesses caused by poor sanitation.

Later this month, our Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander MP will be heading out to the United Nations in New York to take part in a crucial meeting looking at progress on the Millennium Development Goals. Water and Sanitation are central to progress on many other issues like child health and education, but too often they have been overlooked, so we can take action to help change that.

Please write to Douglas Alexander urgently to ensure that taps and toilets are talked about. Click here for a template letter. If you want to know more about the issues surrounding the campaign, then click here, while the latest prayer points for the campaign can be found by clicking here.

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Aradhna - Music and Meaning.