Fareham United Reformed Church

Dear Friends,

A very Happy New year to you all. Thank you for your good wishes both for Christmas .

What difference does a day make?
As we turn another page in the book of our lives, I ask what difference is there between 31 December and 1 January? None really. The sun rises a tiny bit earlier and sets that bit later, but that’s true of all the rest of the year for our ever-turning planet.
Of course, we make of a day what we collectively want to make of it. We have just cranked up the machine of expectation to fever pitch for Christmas Day. But this date is not universally observed: many Orthodox churches in Central and Eastern Europe celebrate Christmas on 7 January, having not, for church purposes, fallen in with the calendar altered by Pope Gregory centuries ago.

Having said this, it is good and mostly helpful to mark certain days as days of celebration or anniversary, for they prompt us to give thanks for the event marked, and give us the chance to break from routine, to discover other aspects to our daily lives and to invest time in our relationships with friends and/or family. They can truly be thus be holy days as well as holidays. Once they have passed they have passed, but, one hopes, the future is better for having marked the passing.

Two further observations: firstly, if we each look back over 2011 we shall find a few moments when the unexpected happened. We were given a chance, we took it and were thankful – a day out, a trip to the theatre, a vital phone call, an apology.... None of us knows what the rest of each day holds, let alone tomorrow or next month, so we have to be ready to “carpe diem”, to seize the day, and thus, hopefully, bless others and ourselves.

Secondly, I recognise that as the year has turned, we can have left some of our sadder, perhaps bitter-sweet memories “back there”. Anniversaries will still come, but just the changing of the date may help a little to rest the past and look forward to the future.

Treasure every day’s opportunity to give and receive love. Look forward to 2012, another year to advance Christ’s Kingdom in this world.
Yours, because His,
Paul

Christingle
Christmas Services begin with the Christingle Service on Sunday 13th December.
At 3pm there is an opportunity to make a Christingle to bring to the Service at 4pm led by Mrs Gill Bailey. This will be followed by tea in the hall

On Sunday 18th December the morning service at 10.30am will be led by the Junior Church. The Theme is "Suprise! Surprise".

In the evening there is a Service of Carols by Candlelight at 6pm. COme and join in with some traditional carols and readings and hear some new ones too.

On Christmas Eve, at 11.30pm there will be a Service of Holy Communion to lead us into Christmas Day.
This will be followed at 10.30am on Christmas Day with a service to celebrate the birth of Jesus when we will be joind by friends from Fareham Methodist Church.

On New Years Eve, there will a gathering from 10.30pm which will lead into a Watch Night Service at 11.30pm.
All are welcome to all or any of these services - a warm welcome awaits you.
Carols by Candelight

Mrs Molly Freeman and Revd Paul Bedford with the Mayor and Mayoress of FarehamThe team of volunteers, led by Edwin Cutress and Molly Freeman, who care for the church garden have been rewarded by winning two awards in the annual Fareham in Bloom Competition. The garden was awarded a silver medal in the Community Garden section and also received a special voluntary award for Dedication to the Community and Park Services.
The awards, presented by the Mayor and Mayoress of Fareham, were received by Mrs Molly Freeman and the Revd Paul Bedford.
The prize winning gardenAnother part of the gardenSilver Award CertificateCommunity Award

All Creation Sings
The Arts and Flower Festival featured art from Pupils of Year 7 at Cams Hill School on the theme of JUNGLE and from the members and friends of the church.
Sunflowers welcomed visitorsIn the JungleA floral arrangement from the Safeguarding Group
From the Knitwitters
The Colour Wheel: God's Promise to Creation

Take us Lord, from busyness to a place of quietness
From the storms of our lives to Your great unending peace
From the fears that grip us to the faith that liberates and empowers us
Help us, Lord, to see who we are and who we ought to be.

We offer our prayers now for family, friends and community, for people in need or distress and for situations throughout the world which bring hardship, sorrow and the need for compassion.

Thank you God, creator of the universe, for the fruits of the earth that give us the means of life:
Thank you for plants, animals and birds that we use for food and medicines
Thank you for the natural world, in which we find the means to be clothed and housed
Thank you for the ability to use the gifts and resources of the natural world for so many purposes
But help us, God, not to squander your creation
May we respect the life of all you have made
May our spirits be strengthened by using only what we need
May we use our strength to help those who are in need
Lord, where your creation is hurting – through environmental disaster and man-made abuse
May there be healing and renewal.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Lord, we confess our day to day failure to share your peace and justice
We may know the word, but not say it….
We may know the truth, but not face it….
We may love the fruit, but not taste it….
We may know the time, but waste it….
Lord, help us to be bold and to pour hope into Your world.
Show us how to walk in way that leads to justice
Make us honest enough to tell you our fears and failings
Treat us with devotion, hold us in your arms,
Give us the confidence to risk ourselves and reassure us when we have doubts
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Lord, our newspapers, radios, televisions and computers show us that your creation and world has been abused, neglected or fragmented and that the gifts that you have given us have not been used wisely or for the common good.
We see the faces of uncertainty and fear, we hear the sounds of anger and bitter weeping
Lord, bring your strength and encouragement to all faced with disaster at this time:

For the people of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya – as the cocktail of civil war, drought, famine and poverty threatens life itself and the ability to live each day
For the people of Syria as protests and violence escalate in towns and cities – leading to increasing loss of lives
For the people of Norway as they reflect on the brutal events of the past week, mourn the loss of so many young lives and strive to heal as a nation
For the people of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya where the actions of rival factions continue to decimate communities and entrench hatred

Lord, bring your best to their worst
Bring your peace to their pain
That none who cry aloud may cry in vain
That those who fear may never walk alone
That those near death may see the light of day
That guilty folk may see the pain caused, change their ways and seek forgiveness
That those who doubt may find a deeper faith
That broken folk may know that they will be whole
God of love, heal your world and its people.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Lord, we thank you for those closest to us who share our daily lives and concerns
For our families and friends who know instinctively when we are troubled or sad or anxious.
We pray for the coming summer holiday season when many seek rest and refreshment and renewal in our lives.

We pray for all those we love and those names known to who have a burden to carry at this time, praying that you will be beside them in whatever they face.
We wait for you, Lord, with longing.
Give us faith and show us your power.
Lord, help us all to be sensitive to one another, that through the Holy Spirit, we may bring your comfort and healing touch to those in need.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Lift us Lord from darkness to light
From sickness to health
From distress to calm
Lift us Lord, from sadness to joy
From fear to faith
From loneliness to love
Lift us Lord in mind and in spirit
In word and in deed
In body and in soul.
Amen

A HELPING HAND!
Did you know that Traidcraft’s delicious Fairtrade sugar from Mauritius is packed by hand?
Craft Aid's packing unit is deliberately labour intensive so it can provide employment for disabled workers, including some men and women who are deaf and speech-impaired. The 500g bags of sugar are packed, sealed, checked and then put into cartons, ready to be shipped.
Traidcraft was the very first buyer of sugar from Craft Aid in 1985. Today, Craft Aid ships out 120 containers per year. By working with the government of Mauritius, Craft Aid has invested in the packing plant, in metal detectors, in conveyor belts and in printers.
All of this provides employment for people like Johanne Martinel (pictured) who weighs the individual bags of sugar. Working on Traidcraft orders helps her to provide for her baby son.
Craft Aid's influence goes much further though. The first five sugar cooperatives in Mauritius had their FLO certification costs funded by Craft Aid. Soon, thirty-two of the 165 sugar co-ops on the island will be FLO certified. The Mauritian government has been so impressed by Fair Trade that they have set up a scheme to help sugar co-operatives obtain Fairtrade accreditation by providing soft loans for up to 75% of the cost of consultancy and application.
Helping Hands

Dear Friends,

Being wise after the event

Thank goodness our church magazines are independent, and their editors beyond reproach! Not for them any underhand means of getting a story!! No, far from it. Our magazines are co-operative efforts. We get out what we put in. So do keep interesting thoughts – your own or those of others – flowing through. We can hear God’s voice in many forms of the written word – or picture, or art for that matter.

The sordid revelations surrounding the News of the World and its owner News Corporation have been a long time coming. The unwieldy – or should we say all-too-wieldable power of certain newspapers has skewed British politics for too long. There may, even by our publication date, be more far-reaching aspects of this story. But they must come out and a cleansing process begin: a process akin to that following the MP’s expenses scandal.

Many have been wise after the event. This letter, you may say, is an example of that. But people of faith are challenged to take an objective, and as far as we can, a Godly view of affairs, both private and public. That’s why the prophets got into some hot water. At root that is why Jesus was put to death.

Remember his words to his disciples? “ You must be as wily as serpents and as innocent as doves”. This is a caution against naiveté for members of churches in general, and ministers in particular!

Have a good August.
Yours ever, in Christ,
Paul

Jesus says, ‘come to me all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads’.

Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace
And so, Lord, we bring to you, in our prayers, people who carry a heavy load………

For people who mourn the death of loved ones, young and old – for those coming to terms with brutal killings, for those who do not feel whole as the person who was the centre of their world is no longer alive.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who speak out and challenge us to be better stewards of your creation – for environmental charities and protest movements as they strive to raise awareness of what we are doing to the world’s resources and powers.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who are despised, ignored or ridiculed, so that their concerns are not really heard – for employees whose basic rights are not catered, for those who seek equal treatment but who face barriers because of their age, their gender, their beliefs, their sexuality or the colour of their skin.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who are harassed and dehumanised, and whose protests are not heard or given any consideration – for people in Zimbabwe, in Burma, in Libya and in Tibet who struggle for democracy and personal freedom.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who are hungry and thirsty because there is little to eat or drink – where droughts have meant that crops have failed, where no livelihood has meant people are driven to beg or steal to feed themselves and their families.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people caught up in the midst of war - for displaced people and refugees in Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia who have had to flee their home and communities for fear of their own safety.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who are responsible for providing healthcare, education and emergency services – carers, teachers, surgeons, nurses, GPs, lecturers, firefighters, police and many others . In those days when they feel that the job is never done and that their world is getting worse and not better
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people in positions of power and responsibility in governments, corporations and communities – so that they discern the right thing to do for the common good, so that they approach their important tasks with integrity, selflessness, openness and honesty
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who are ill or wounded in body, mind or spirit – for those suffering from terminal illness and will not return to full health, for those that require constant care and support to face each day, for those who demand too much of themselves and are hampered by frustration.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who face economic uncertainty or are trapped in debt – those who fear the loss of work and home, those who face difficult decisions about what to do next.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For people who do not know Your love and search for meaning, purpose and comfort in worldly gods and people who do not have their best interests at heart.
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

For those brought to us, in name alone, who need your love and strength:
Where hearts and minds are burdened
Where bodies are tired
Where spirit is fragile
Lord, give rest, Lord give hope and peace

And finally, we pray for ourselves, that we will accept the easy yoke that Jesus gives us, and receive from him the strength to love and serve in his name.

Lord of all life and experience, hear our prayers and in your grace touch the lives of those for whom we have prayed.
Amen

Praying Hands

It is hoped that skills learned here will become a regular part of worship.

Fairtrade in the UK is worth a staggering £1 billion a year - the largest Fairtrade market in the world. It's a fantastic achievement and one for which we thank God and for which churches can take a great deal of the credit.
But the wider availability of fair trade products in supermarkets has given some people the impression that somehow, the job is done and that we don't need to bother anymore.
They're wrong - but we know that mistaken belief can make life difficult for supporters of Traidcraft, so here are a few answers to some of the questions you might get asked:
Why is it better to buy from a Traidcraft stall/outlet than a supermarket?
Supermarkets are great at what they do - selling large volumes of products at very competitive prices but they can only work with Fairtrade certified food producers who can supply them in the volumes they need.
So they offer no opportunity to commodity producers who aren't yet at that level - but would like to be - or to the millions struggling to support themselves and their families making crafts, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, or paper and card products for which no internationally agreed Fairtrade standard yet exists.
Traidcraft can - and does! A large part of our effort is directed towards helping some of the poorest and most marginalized producers gain their share of the growing global fair trade market. Sales from Traidcraft stalls/outlets play a vital role in making that work possible.
How can supermarkets sell some Fairtrade products more cheaply than Traidcraft?
Between them, the four largest supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons) have around 75% of the UK grocery market. Tesco alone has a weekly turnover of around £1 billion - as much as the whole Fairtrade market in the UK for a year! Even the smaller supermarket chains are still very large compared to Traidcraft.
Their size means they can achieve economies of scale and efficiencies that smaller trading operations, like ours, just can't hope to match. They can afford to offer products at lower prices because their operating costs are, proportionately, much lower.
So you're asking supporters in the church to pay more?
In the case of a few products - yes. If you believe what we are doing is right, if you want to see more families given the opportunity to work their way out of poverty, more communities enjoy the sort of amenities we take for granted - clean water, a school, a clinic - then choosing, consciously, to buy from your Traidcraft outlet rather than the supermarket is the way to help.
Why does Traidcraft sell its products to the supermarkets?
Because Traidcraft was set up to change the way the world trades - and getting the mainstream to adopt fair trade is part of our mission.
Although the fair trade market has grown impressively in recent years, it is still only a tiny fraction of trade in the UK, let alone the world. If we can move the 'big boys' even a little way towards fairer trade, that will open up huge opportunities for many more producers.
And supermarkets offer Traidcraft access to a whole group of customers who might otherwise never come across fair trade products.
Why is the support of each individual so important to Traidcraft?
Because Traidcraft was created as a Christian response to poverty and the support of the churches has been critical to its growth and achievements - and will always be so.
Because consumption involves choice and the choices we make when we spend our money send powerful signals to government and business.
Because Christian living can, sometimes, involve sacrifice - and people who are prepared to be self-sacrificial make impressive role models for others.
Because by supporting Traidcraft you're making a difference - to all the families who can look forward to a brighter, better future because of what you do.