Barbed wire, a mother and child, and a refugee camp

I was glad to attend the Private View this evening for Gilly Szego: A Retrospective which is hosted by Protein Studios in Shoreditch. The exhibition is the largest curation of Szego's work to date and showcases pieces from over seven decades, from early watercolours, through to the portraits for which she is best known. At 85 years old, Szego is still producing artwork and this exhibition also includes her show from last year, Opposites: Conflict and the Human Mind.

Gilly Szego: A Retrospective also includes photographs and works by other artists that tell the story of her career as a painter, including a portrait by Feliks Topolski. With over 50 pieces, spanning seven decades, the exhibition includes privately-owned works that have never been exhibited before.

I was particularly interested to see Mother and Child a painting shown in the St Martin-in-the-Fields refugee action programme in 1972, as part of efforts to raise awareness of the plight of Ugandan refugees. This canvas surrounded by barbed wire depicts a mother and child scene in a refugee camp, but set in such a way that people would mistake it for the Madonna and Child. Szego said at the time that 'if Jesus Christ had been born in 1972, it would have most likely been in a refugee camp.' She couldn't have known when she painted it in 1972 that 45 years later it would still look as if it was painted last week. 

Venue: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY
Dates: 7th - 12th December 2017
FREE ENTRY

Opening Times:
Thu 7 Dec: 10am til 4pm (Open to Public)
Thu 7 Dec: 6.30pm til 10pm (Private View, by invitation only)
Fri 8 Dec: 10am til 6pm
Sat 9 Dec: 11am til 7pm
Sun 10 Dec: 11am til 6pm
Mon 11 Dec: 10am til 6pm
Tue 12 Dec: 10am til 4pm

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Paul Simon - Homeless.

A measure of peace will come

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am leaving, but I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father; for he is greater than I. I have told you this now before it all happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. (John 14. 26 – 29)

The Helper will come—the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me. And you, too, will speak about me, because you have been with me from the very beginning. (John 15. 26 – 27)

I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me where I am going. And now that I have told you, your hearts are full of sadness. But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I do go away, then I will send him to you. (John 16. 4b – 6)

I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear. When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come. He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you. All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you. (John 16. 12 – 15)

Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said to them, “I said, ‘In a little while you will not see me, and then a little while later you will see me.’ Is this what you are asking about among yourselves? I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness. When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world. That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you. (John 16. 19 – 22)

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.

It was in the telling of tales about Nick that I found a measure of peace and acceptance for what had happened to him. This also seems to be a part of what Jesus is telling his disciples in our reading this afternoon.

Jesus tells his disciples that in a little while he is going away and they will not see him anymore. We know that he was preparing them for both his crucifixion and his ascension. He says also that when he goes away, the Helper will not come to them. The Helper is his Spirit, the spirit of the one that they have lost. When the Helper comes to them, he will speak about Jesus, the one that they have lost, and make them remember all he told them. Then they, too, will speak about Jesus. And, of course, this is exactly what then happened in the meetings of the Early Church; the disciples told each other stories of Jesus – stories that were eventually written down to form the Gospels as we have them today.

So, the spirit of the one that they have lost comes to them to help them talk about the one that they have lost. As they talk about the one that they have lost, with the help of the Spirit, Jesus predicts that they will cry and weep but that their sadness will then turn into gladness. In this way they will know peace. As Jesus said, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am leaving, but I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father; for he is greater than I. I have told you this now before it all happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.”

This was also my experience in my own grief. The telling of tales about my brother confirmed our love of him and God’s love of him. As a result, I experienced a measure of peace about what had happened to him and where he now was. This suggests that we should not be afraid of tears, of memories, of stories, as they are an expression of the love we feel. It is as we cry out in our grief that God meets with us. Jesus is alongside us through his Helper, his Spirit, and can speak to us and for us in groans that words cannot express. It is as we speak of those we have lost that a measure of peace will come.

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U2 - MLK.

Remembering Nick

New plaque

Remembrance Garden

Yesterday we dedicated a new plaque in memory of my brother Nick in the Garden of Rembrance at Aston Parish Church. Nick's good friend Andi Thomas had fixed the plaque in place and the Vicar of Aston, Andy Jolley, led friends and family in prayer and thanksgiving for Nick's life. The new plaque replaced the original that had been in place since Nick's death.

'Faith in Action' was the original name of Rejuvenate Worldwide, now led by Andi Thomas, the charity that was formed following the expedition which Nick organised to climb Mount Elgon in Uganda with young people from the Aston Community Youth Project and which established links between young people in Birmingham and Salem in Uganda. Earlier this year Andi led the latest expedition in which a team of young people from Aston and inner city Birmingham spent 17 days in Uganda working on various projects with local people and visiting schools and community projects.  

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Delirious? - Find Me In The River.

Rejuvenate Worldwide Uganda Team 2010

The latest Rejuvenate Worldwide team of young people fly out to Uganda this Tuesday.

It is going to be an amazing experience for all going, life changing to say the least. The team will be spending their time working with local Ugandans building a classroom, working with street kids and at the orphanage providing sports and other outdoor activities, teaching English and working with the local community on eco friendly & self sustaining projects, planting trees and living off the land.

The team have all worked extremely hard getting to this point, as they go to serve and learn with colleagues in Uganda, and Rejuvenate are asking that supporters pray for them.

• The team leave on Tuesday the 22nd June and return on the 8th July – pray for their safety travelling there and back as well as while in the country.
• Pray that they will have a life changing experience and learn from our hosts while they serve.
• Pray for our protection from the various diseases, injuries and dangers during our stay.
• That the team working with our partners will leave a lasting mark on the village and community we will be staying and working in.
• Pray for our leaders who will be leading the programme; that they will have wisdom and strength.

Rejuvenate look forward to sharing their journey with us so keep a look out for their posts on the website.

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Betty Namaganda - Yesu Anateera Okudda.

Mt Elgon landslide: Urgent Appeal

On Tuesday evening the Mt Elgon region in Uganda suffered a severe landslide killing over 85 people and leaving hundreds without homes, food and clean water. Children have been left without parents and siblings, Martin who is from the village has been keeping Rejuvenate Worldwide up to date with the aftermath of the disaster.

Please read Martin's latest up date report by visiting http://www.facebook.com/l/6a25d;www.rejuvenateworldwide.org.uk/news/latest-news/

It doesn't take much to make a HUGE difference. Just £5 will help purchase much needed blankets, food and other essential equipment. Rejuvenate is responding to the landslides and supporting Martin and his team on the ground.

If you can donate towards the costs of blankets, pot and pans to cook with and food, click here http://www.justgiving.com/landslide-disaster or send cheques payable to Rejuvenate Worldwide to 110 Warren Hill Rd Birmingham B44 8ET – please state clearly that this is for the ‘Village Fund’.

Rejuvenate Worldwide is a non-demoninational Christian charity working in the UK, Africa (Uganda) and other countries. Their vision is to give young people the opportunities to reach out to other across the world less fortunate than themselves.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan / Peter Gabriel - Passion.

Baptism of fire

November last year was the 10th Anniversary of my brother's death and on a family weekend to remember Nick, his father-in-law reminded me that I hadn't read Andy McNab's autobiography Seven Troop. Military memoirs are not my preferred reading but the interest with this book is that Seven Troop, the Troop to which McNab was assigned on joining the SAS, included Frank Collins who, once he had left the SAS and become an Anglican minister, became a great friend of Nick.

They met, I think, when Nick contacted Frank after he had read an article about Frank in The Mirror. They had their army backgrounds in common and shared interests in outward bound activities and Christian ministry. These all came together in 1998 when Nick set up the first expedition by the Aston Community Youth Project to Uganda. Frank was also part of the team that went on the expedition and enabled 17 young people from Birmingham to visit Uganda and climb Mount Elgon. The expedition was a life-changing experience for many of those young people and also led to the establishment of the charity now known as Rejuvenate Worldwide.

Frank was an great encourager of the young people, as one of the young people said at the time, "I want to thank Frank Collins for pushing me on each day when I wanted to just stop ... He's a great guy. You can have great fun with him and he can be serious too." This quality of Frank's can also be sensed in one of the short speeches that he gave as the group were climbing Mount Elgon: "It's been a great time. A time to talk and learn from one other. A time to grow. We're all learning. We're learning as we go. None of us are experts. We're all finding out as we go along. A real broadening experience. We're all learning from it."

"Let's keep on climbing mountains guys. The rest of our lives right, all the way up," was his comment as the group celebrated reaching the summit of Mount Elgon.

Frank's autobiography Baptism of Fire had come out the year before and had changed his life in more ways than anyone realised at the time. Writing the book meant that Frank had to leave his role as chaplain to 5 Airborne Brigade leaving him without a clear sense of direction. Then, as McNab notes in Seven Troop, "Not a day went by without a flood of fan mail and more requests to speak about his experiences than he knew how to handle." The pressure of high profile Christian ministry can be immense because you are expected by those contacting you to respond to all their requests (if you don't, you are letting down your Lord) and because of expectations that you maintain high standards in your personal and family life as that is what is considered honouring to the Lord. When Frank felt that he was possibly in danger of failing in relation to these things he ended his life, commiting suicide on 16th June 1999.

McNab has said that as "7 Troop, was never more than 12-strong, so we knew each other very well. Frank Collins and Nish Bruce were a bit older than me and they became my heroes." This, despite Frank's regular attempts to convert McNab to Christianity. McNab writes that he admired Frank for "getting himself involved in a lot of kids' suport groups" where "He would take them canoeing or walking in the hills, anything to show them there was more to life than nicking cars or frightening old ladies."

Ultimately, however, he thought that none of this filled the vacuum in Frank's life that resulted from leaving the SAS. He looked around at the "weird collection of people" at his funeral - "friends from his evangelical, happy-clappy days, from the clergy college, prayer groups, the cathedral lads down the road, the kids and youth groups he'd helped - and listens to "speaker after speaker say great things about him," but all he could think was, 'what a waste'; "The Church had never filled the vacuum."

McNab puts the suicide of Collins (and Nish Bruce), two of his closest friends, to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr Gordon Turnbull, then an RAF psychiatrist, and now one of the world's leading experts on PTSD, explains it very simply: a normal reaction to an abnormal experience. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, high anxiety, severe mood swings, hyper-alertness, violent and aggressive outbursts, lack of concentration, sexual dysfunction and depression, and an inability to readjust to ordinary life.

McNab's explanation understandably highlights the military experience which is familiar to him and plays down the significance of the Christian experience to which he does not relate. Frank's life and death were complex and PTSD was no doubt a part of what led to his suicide. However, the pressure that he must have felt as he suddenly became a high profile Christian with a personal life that he felt was disintegrating must also have been a significant factor in the choices he made and leaves the Church with questions to be answered that are, as yet, essentially unexplored.

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Violent Femmes - Used To Be.

Rejuvenate Worldwide newsletter

Rejuvenate Worldwide Newsletter Date: July 09

Imagine an area with no prospects and little vision for their future! An area where there is no school and no access to education - leading to fewer children contributing to their community! Fewer adults being able to provide for their families through work, and a community affected by poverty and alcohol dependency.

Now…….Imagine a community with a school, where young people are raised with a vision and a hope for their future, where young people graduate and become the leading lights in their community, their community transformed by adults who are teachers, doctors, business owners and accountants.

This is NOT just an imaginary exercise….. What will you do to make a difference…..?

Andi Thomas - Rejuvenate Coordinator

NEW SCHOOL: Sironko Primary School

Working with community workers in Uganda together we have identified the need for a school to be built in a remote area on Mount Elgon – Kasabasi Village in the Masira sub-county. The villagers have little access to local towns and therefore no access to education without a school they can afford in their village. Without education Ugandans have limited options in their adult life. Land has been secured in order that Rejuvenate plan, build and supply resources and a teacher to the school.

SPONSOR A TEACHER

In England an average teacher’s salary is £25,000. In Uganda an experienced teacher’s wage is £1200. Are you a school that can sponsor a teacher for the new school? Can you do a non-uniform day each term? £3 buys chalk for a school for a WHOLE YEAR in Uganda, can you sponsor the resources a teacher will need? To read more and sponsor any of the projects in Uganda please visit Rejuvenate Worldwide.

RJW has been working in Uganda since 1998. On a recent trip to Uganda we were updated with the various struggles and challenges Ugandan's face daily and yet we take for granted.

YOUTH GROUP SCALE NEW HEIGHTS!

In May 20 young people from Reality Youth Group in Kingstanding Elim Church climbed Snowdon to raise money for the new school in Kasabasi village. A beautiful sunny day saw the team race to the top in record time with much fun had by all.

THANK YOU for all their hard work and amazing contribution!

We need your support, get involved!

Rejuvenate Worldwide is solely run by volunteers and we rely on the generosity of people like you to keep the charity running. You can support the charity as an individual or a group by praying or giving financially, getting involved in our events or organising one yourself. We would also love to come and share with you about our work by giving a presentation. For 2009/10 we are looking for people to get involved in:

1. Rejuvenate fundraiser evening Autumn 2009
2. Trek Italy 24 - 29 September 2009
3. Trek Tanzania (Kilimanjaro) 17 - 27 September 2009
4. Cycle Mexico 19- 29 November 2009
5. Giant abseil spring 2010

NEW FOR 2010 CYCLE EUROPE CHALLENGE

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Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Red Clay Halo.