Rev Philip Gray - grayurc@yahoo.com

33, Halton Drive, Wideopen, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 0AA.

CHURCH SECRETARY:
Mr. F. Milligan, 10 The Beeches, Ponteland NE20 9SZ
 

• SUNDAY WORSHIP 10 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.
   
• Sunday 13th July
  Quarterly meeting 11 a.m.
   
• Saturday 19th July
  Visit to New Lanark World Heritage Site
   
• Saturday 6th September
  Church Open Day
   
• Tuesday 16th September
  Quarterly meeting 7 p.m.
   
• Thursday 25th September
  Bible Society Lunch
  
   

PARABLES OF JESUS

Humility and Hospitality

When he noticed how the guests chose the place of honour, he told them a parable. When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host and the host who invited both of you comes and says to you “give this person your seat” and then in disgrace you would take the lowest place. But when you are invited go and take the lowest place, so that your host comes and says to you “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Luke 14 v 7-14
 

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

An African minister of religion one morning on the radio was asked “how do we worship?” He wisely replied,

Some like to shout! Some like to sing! Some like to dance! Some like to read! Some like a rousing sermon! but many like to sit quietly and think of Jesus.
 

From the Revd Philip Gray

Dear Friends

It’s holiday time, the time when the minister doesn’t know how many there will be in church, will there be a feast or a famine? It’s the time that you plan to do an extra special sermon or something similar, only to discover that everyone is away and then you feel sort of thwarted, preaching to the faithful few or, as someone commented, “the holiday leftovers”. May I just say at this point, I don’t consider those of you who don’t go on holidays as “leftovers”, it really was told to me as a joke, honest!! Actually, thinking more about it, leftovers once figured importantly in my life. They were the yummy bits that made bubble and squeak, or delicious beef sandwiches on homemade bread with English mustard. Or what about when the ham bone was boiled to make lentil soup or even the left over lamb for a true shepherd’s pie, with a little bit of grated cheese on top to make it extra special. What really was special for me though, was when Gran made bread and butter pudding with left over bread; eggs and butter (although butter was actually ECHO margarine). All of these dishes tasted wonderful and were cheap, wholesome and ecologically sound, although Gran would have thought this word was a swear word (were we ecologically sound then?).

All of this makes me ponder the thought that we (the church) are the leftovers of today’s society, a remnant people. It forces me to ask the question “can anything be done with us?” or are we destined for the rubbish heap? This pondering has led me to realise that whatever happens to us is unimportant, what is important is what we do. We should not be frozen into inactivity by our situation, but use it to be a base/ foundation, for action. Leftovers need to be used up and consumed; otherwise they will just rot away. It is our calling to be consumed, to be consumed by our love of God. To be consumed by our desire to work for God’s Kingdom, and consumed by our self giving after the example of Jesus.

So here is the question that begs to be asked “What do we do?” Have a think and maybe come back with an idea that is more than just a first thought, let’s hear what you are thinking.

Finally, let’s have some recipes for leftovers. Food wastage is a crime against the starving and a misuse of creation. So come on folks, let’s have your ideas and recipes!

God Bless, Philip
 

ELDERS MEETING

We were advised that progress is being made slowly in our Mission Partnership and we hope the next meeting will bring together the church profiles from each church. We feel that it is up to ourselves to set up and implement a programme to develop our mission and to increase our membership and the use of our premises by the community. We are meeting for a morning in September to develop these ideas and prepare practical ways for outreach to bring the story of the Bible to the community.

We are very thankful that Shona and Kay are willing to begin a new junior church class for the very young in September, but recognise that the Elders will continue to have responsibility for older children. We will organise a meeting with Hannah Middleton, the Synod Children’s Officer to discuss the way forward for our children and youngsters.

We agreed the new date for the Church Open Day: Saturday 6th September and will be making revised arrangements and contacting the various groups and organisations again. The article in the June edition of “SOURCE” remains relevant. We were pleased with success of “Party in the Park” and thank the organisers and our representatives for their hard work. The elders still need a second representative at “Ponteland Churches Together”.

We received a note from the Finance Group and noted with concern that this year our expenditure is higher than our income. We need to address both aspects of our finances and will be raising the matter at the Church Meeting on Sunday 13th July.

Fred Milligan, Secretary, Elders Meeting.
 

SYNOD NEWS

Make time for God’s Creation is the call by Church leaders to Christians in England to use the period from 1st September until 4th October to put the environment at the heart of their worship. The initiative follows a resolution made at the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in 2007, attended by representatives of Europe’s Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, that the period “be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change”. “Time for God’s Creation“ incorporates several existing dates related to Creation and themes in the different church calendars. In1989 the Ecumenical Patriach invited all Christians to observe 1st September as a day of thanksgiving for Creation and an occasion for petitions for its preservation and healing. The period also incorporates the Harvest Festival, celebrated by Anglican and Protestant Churches and concludes on 4th October with St. Francis’ Day when Roman Catholics reflect on Creation themes.

Churches tell world leaders: ‘Feed the hungry’

Rome 5th June

The world converged on Rome for an international summit on food and security with some countries using it as a political platform but the message from churches and faith communities was unequivocal; feed the hungry. “Give food to those who are dying of hunger because if you do not, you shall have killed them” warned Pope Benedict XVI in a message to the Food and Agriculture Organisation that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, read at the Rome headquarters of the UN body dealing with food and agriculture.
 

IN MEMORIAM

ARTHUR CAIGER 1918 - 2008

Over the years when we have had the company of Ruth and Arthur Caiger, we have marvelled at the depth of his faith especially following the tragedy of the loss of his sight. We offer Ruth and her family our deep sympathy and the feeling that, as she adjusted before, Ruth will find consolation in that faith and in the joy of knowing that Arthur and she achieved so much in their life together.
 

PARTY IN THE PARK 8th JUNE 2008

The Party in the Park, organised by our four Churches in Ponteland on a gloriously sunny Sunday, was again very successful. This is a well-run community event supported by many local clubs and organisations, including the Town Council and Castle Morpeth who financially helped groups and activities.

This year we assisted in running a successful Traidcraft Stall. Each Church sells Traidcraft products and we all joined together to promote and offer the ethically sourced fairtrade goods. Other new events were the Capoerai Brazilian dance group who gave a display of their abilities; the blue bin sculptures made by children from the waste placed in bins and the Community Band who gave a great first performance. The Darras Hall First School, the Whistling Sheep and the Pongos also provided splendid music.

The “Party in the Park” is indebted to its sponsors, the Airport who gave a substantial cash donation, the traders who supplied food, Snaith’s, Sainsbury’s and Davidson’s, the ladies from the churches who baked cakes and the firemen who have supported the event each year. They helped to keep the children cool by pumping water out of the Pont.

The Mayor Irene Brumwell opened the Party and at the end there was a presentation to retiring P.C. Jon Gray of a panoramic photograph of Ponteland village green.

The preparation, the work on the day and the clearing up afterwards is made possible through the efforts of an organising team led by Andy Anderson and with the help of many willing volunteers from all four Churches.
 

BEDALE & MASHAM

A change of direction with our ‘away day’ as we travelled south initially to Thorp Perrow Arboretum situated near the historic town of Bedale and then to the Black Sheep Brewery at Masham.

The superb weather greatly enhanced the first venue at Thorp Perrow. Our coffee break overlooking the spectacular surroundings was idyllic. The Arboretum which covers 85 acres consists of a collection of native and exotic trees and shrubs planted mainly by Sir Leonard Ropner from 1931 onwards. It is now owned and managed by his son Sir John Ropner. It provided a wonderful environment for woodland plants, animals and insects. After exploring the woods and admiring the flowering shrubs we visited the bird of prey conservation and captive breeding centre. We were impressed with a flying demonstration which showed the ability and speed of several birds of prey. This was accentuated by a lively and informative commentary.

Our next venue was the Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, where the first brews were sampled in 1992. Paul Theakston, fifth generation of Masham’s famous brewing family used his inherited skills to make real beer. It is now available around the world. During our ‘shepherded tour’ we experienced the Black Sheep brewing process. The brew house is laid out in the traditional tower fashion and some of the vessels are 80 years old. We started our tour with the aroma and taste of English hops and matted barley and ended with some of our party sampling a complimentary glass of Black Sheep beer.

Our mystery evening meal venue was superb. After much intrigue we enjoyed an excellent meal at Whitworth Hall Hotel in the centre of a deer park. Robert Shafto lived here from 1742 to 1797. He was famous for the ballad “Bonnie Bobby Shafto”. He was also an M.P. for Durham City. The tradition of great hospitality at Whitworth Hall came from the days of the Shafto family entertaining royalty and public figures. It provided our party the perfect end to a wonderful day.

Everyone will have their own memories of this special day and we thank Raymond and Margaret for their impeccable planning which enabled us to enjoy such a full itinerary. Once again a great success.

Mary Younger
 

STARTUP FARM

SATURDAY 28th JUNE, 2008

We all had a relaxing and very enjoyable morning at Startup Farm the home of Catherine and Ian Storey. The family have farmed for over 60 years at Startup and, in the future, their son and daughter will continue on this tradition.

Catherine’s Zwartbles sheep, which we met last year, are thriving. She started with three and now has ten. This year one ewe had triplets. She managed to feed two of the lambs successfully but the third was failing to grow and needed to be hand fed. It is now as big as the other two.

We thank Catherine and Ian for opening up their home for this special event. The sum of £440 was raised for Church funds and our thanks go to Catherine and all the helpers who contributed to the success of the morning.

ACADEMIC THOUGHTS FROM THE RESIDUAL WATSONS

It has been a busy year for the “other Watsons” with all three of our family doing university finals this summer.

Patrick has been awarded a first class honours degree in Pharmacology by Glasgow University and now will embark on a five-year dental degree also in Glasgow, ensuring that retirement is not on the horizon for his parents. In April Patrick was seriously ill in hospital and even sitting his exams seemed in doubt. As a family we were greatly helped by prayers from the church prayer chain. Thankfully he made an excellent recovery.

Our elder son, David, has just qualified in Medicine at Edinburgh University and becomes a third generation Dr. Watson.

Patrick’s twin sister, Hannah, has also just completed her course in Speech Science (Speech and Language Therapy) at Sheffield University. At the time of going to press her results are not out but we are optimistic.

Unfortunately, the Glasgow and Edinburgh graduation ceremonies will be on the same day at the same time so we shall have to toss a coin!

It seems appropriate at this time of celebration to thank the members of the congregation for the support given to our family since we moved here in 1987. It does not seem long since the twins used to escape from their seats in church and crawl to the front through people’s legs. Those were the days when the twins thought that Ann Gray lived in the crèche and we will always remember David assuring us that God’s first name is Peter. When asked how he knew this, David told us that the Revd Hannen always said, “Thanks Peter God”!

Thank you.

Peter and Kay Watson
 

A WORTHWHILE “SOURCE”?

The monthly Newsletter is by now a regular feature of our Church life.

The amount of work involved in compiling and producing this publication is considerable and reflects the skills we have within our congregation.

It is very disappointing, therefore, to find that the Newsletter passes almost without any comment whatsoever, month after month. Is it worth continuing with this monthly communication? If it is not appreciated, then it is certainly not worthwhile. Communication goes two ways and it is important to get feedback on what you think about the Newsletter.

You may like or dislike it, you may feel that additional or different features could be added or you may feel there is too much information or not enough! Would you like to be a contributor?

Comments would not be published, unless you agree, but please let us have your views as these would be most welcome.
 

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, UPDATE

We have all enjoyed watching the changes in the vestibule that, step by step, have created a surprisingly large, bright welcoming space. Our thanks go to Robin Ramsay for managing this process in a way that has caused minimum disruption to church activities while actually costing less than the original estimate…..

...and the Coffee Lounge stayed open!!

As many of you know, we put in an application to the Big Lottery Fund for a grant towards building an annex new hall that passed the stage one hurdle; unfortunately we were unsuccessful at stage two. According to BLF, ours was a strong bid but funds were limited and there were other applications from community groups that did not have any appropriate buildings in which to run activities. Without a BLF grant, and in the current economic climate, it doesn’t seem likely that we can raise, within the next few years, the £300,000 needed to build a new self-contained annexe. We are, therefore, looking at alternative (and less expensive) ways of making the car-park end of the building more user-friendly while still leaving the way open for building an annexe at a later date.

Once all the work on the vestibule is paid for we will have approximately £60,000 in the project account; this is nearly half what would be needed to build the community meeting place and other funds are promised. The proposal is, therefore, to work towards raising the rest of the funds and building the meeting place over the coming year, using the same step-by-step approach as for the vestibule.

Colin Scott, on behalf of the Project Team.

SUNDAY 13th JULY AT 7.00 P.M.

MORPETH METHODIST CHURCH, HOWARD TERRACE.

COLUMBA

THE DOVE OF IONA

Music and Lyrics by Gordon Fraser

Performed by members and friends of St. Georges United Reformed Church, Morpeth.

Columba was a man of faith and action and a man who learned from experience. A man who held political and religious power - in a time of warring dynasties, clashing cultures and the propagation of a new religion, with many different understandings of what it means to be a Christian. He was a man who waged war to bend the world he knew to his beliefs. Yet he came to realise the way to bring about Christ’s kingdom on earth was to forsake all those things which gave him temporal power, - instead to live simply and humbly serving the people around him and sharing a gospel of love.

We live in similar times!

A collection will be taken for the refugee support services - the play will last for 60 minutes.

An invitation is extended to us all at Ponteland URC and St. George’s members hope we will be able to attend.

More details and pictures at:

www.urc-northernsynod.org/resource/columba.htm
 

EVENTS

Already we are receiving ideas for 2008 - 2009.

August.
Suggestion for a new experience. Make your own way by car or motorbike to Newcastleton. This is about an hour through beautiful countryside into the Scottish countryside. A small restaurant has been identified where we could have an excellent evening meal. If the night is fine, return via Kielder and the North Tyne valley. This would be a mid week evening and we could have a great time together.

List on Church Notice Board.

September.
A domino evening is planned - details later.
 

October.
Harvest supper and entertainment Friday 17th October.

 

November. Christmas Fayre Saturday 8th November in the Church.
Later. Wine tasting evening with guest host.

Booking lists are on the church notice board or tel. 01661 825015.
 

DAYS AWAY

Our “Days away” are a wonderful means of getting away from everyday happenings at home, visiting new places, eating elsewhere with no concern about finding a parking space, fuel or somewhere to eat etc. Those who have travelled with us have enjoyed the company and the conversation with both new and old friends. Having included a meal in the evening has been an outstanding success.

Are you new to our church or the area? Did you pick up this copy of Source from a friend’s house or see it in the library? Why not decide now to join one of these exciting days?

The next one is on 19th July - coffee at Lockerbie - World Heritage site at New Lanark - the Tweed Valley - traditional Scottish high tea at Peebles Hydro.

Inclusive price £35 including gratuities - list on Church Notice Board, or 825015.
 

THANKS FROM THE HERMITAGE

Warm greetings from St. Petersburg!

We would like to thank you very much for your kind hospitality and very warm welcome. Our spring 2008 tour to England was very successful.

Thanks a lot to the families who very kindly offered to look after us. Have a good summer.

All the best.
Natalia.
 

LIFE IN THE 1500’S

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500’s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the sons and other men, then the women and finally the children with last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw piled high with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

To be continued ...
 

SUBTLE QUOTE
from the minutes of a Preacher’s meeting.

“Is the preacher’s call to preach shifting to the ability to preach”?????

What do you think? Send your opinion as a letter please.
 

DO WE OR DON’T WE?

Do we congratulate, thank or mention individual achievements and success stories? The concern is that we might omit to mention other equally deserving persons. Obviously we can only comment when we are told about the event. We would always obtain the consent of anyone involved. Let us know what you think, preferably on the “Letter” page.
 

Contact names ; -

Church Secretary - Mr. F. Milligan, 10 The Beeches, Ponteland. NE20 9SZ Tel. 823489

Hall Bookings - Mrs. J. Childs, 34 Ashdale, Ponteland. NE20 9DR. Tel. 825144

Property Secretary - Mrs. B. Johnston, 2 Bamburgh House, Merton Way, Ponteland. NE20 9PY Tel. 872546

Disclaimer:-
Statements made or views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Newsletter Team.
 

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