Sunday Services

June / July

The Diary for June and Julyl

CHURCH DIARY June - July 

June    Sun 7^th          11.00 am      Revd. Jim Gould    -    Communion 

6 .30 pm        Prayer &  Praise – Douglas Hogge 

Sun  14^th    11.00 am      Miss Christine Macqueen                  “            

6.30 pm         Hymns and Prayers.        

Wed. 10^th      10.15 am      Abbeyfield: coffee & chat with residents        

10^th      1.00 pm        Fellowship Lunch

Mon. 15^th – Fri. 19^th          CHURCH  HOLIDAY 

Thoughts for April

Dear Friends

I have recently read a book entitled ‘To Grow Young’, which is written by my cousin, Peter. It is a story of one man’s experience of the horrors of World War I.   ‘Frederick is a committed soldier and cavalryman whose dedication to his profession has earned him promotion to Regimental Sergeant Major. By March 1917, and now an officer in the Tank Corps, the newly trained Lt. Talbot must command his tank in winter battles at Arras.’

Frederick Charles Talbot was my great uncle, and Peter has combined fact and fiction in his book. He has used the many family stories surrounding the life of Frederick, particularly those of our Auntie Ethel, and also references he researched in historical books about Word War I.   Of course, because the book is of and by a family member, it is of particular interest to me—the mentions of my mother and her brothers and sisters, and their parents—snippets of stories I can recall my aunts and uncles recounting.

In 1914-1918 war, any soldier who panicked and ran away was shot as a deserter and a coward. That, at least, was the theory, though many officers had compassion and they lied on behalf of their men in order to get an accusation of desertion reduced to a lesser charge.

April 25^th is a saints day—St. Mark the Evangelist.  Young John Mark was the nephew of the Apostle Barnabas, and he travelled as assistant to his uncle and the Apostle Paul, from Antioch all the way through Cyprus until they reached the southern coast of what’s now called Turkey, and then ‘left them and returned to Jerusalem’. Was John Mark a deserter?   Did St. Paul think this was cowardice?

Well, we don’t have many details about Paul’s reaction, but we do know that it led to a rift in the old friendship between Paul and Barnabas. When Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them on their

next journey, ‘Paul decided not to take with them one who deserted

them in Pamphylia, and had not accompanied them in the work’.  Paul had no patience with anyone who began work as a missionary, and gave up when the going got difficult, and that is exactly what Mark had done.

When he realized what he had done, Mark spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it, and we do know that eventually he was reconciled to Paul. We should take courage from the story of John Mark—he wasn’t perfect: neither are we—he let his friends down: how about us?  - he gave up when things went badly: aren’t we tempted to do the same? But he was sorry for what he had done wrong; and he was forgiven by Paul, and also, we believe, by Jesus.

Then Mark redeemed himself completely, when God called him to write the first ever Gospel, and so to spread the good news of God’s love. We, too, can spread God’s love by our words and actions, if we are humble enough to admit our mistakes, like Mark did. He was a walking disaster as a Christian, yet God forgave him ‘to encourage the others’. Mark shows us that nobody, absolutely nobody, is ever beyond the hope of redemption. Not Mark; not me; not you.

Every blessing for this Easter as we give thanks to the risen Lord.

Harrow Philharmonic Choir Concert

We are very pleased to be able to host a concert by the Harrow Philharmonic Choir on Saturday the 13th of June.

Summer Concert

Conductor - John Wyatt

Summer Song

Horrotorio    Joseph Horovitz

and

Encores for Choirs

Saturday, June 13th 2009 at 7.30 p.m.

St Johns, United Reformed Church, Kenton, Harrow

£10, £8 concessions and under 16 years – free

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