There was as air of celebration in the Village Hall at the December Squeeze Breakfast Club. The hall piano had been put in place beside the stage, and with our own musicians at the ready, we were all set for a carol sing-along. Word sheets scattered over the individual tables made it very easy to join in or choose a favourite, or just listen. Table decorations of winter greenery and tinsel strips added to the festivity, and breakfast included mince pies.

Two of the younger girls sang a version of The Holly and the Ivy from their school Christmas programme. There was no music to hand so they bravely sang unaccompanied.

At the handicraft tables there was the usual choice of activities. The younger boys and older men were drawn to the glass painting. Long-necked, dark blue bottles made a good ground for metallic paint. It is surprising how effective smudges of gold paint applied with a crumpled piece of tissue paper can be; even close-up they looked very much like a pattern of roses. The candles were also painted in similar style.

The mums tended to gather around the table decorations. Holly, ivy, even partly-open buds of pink carnations, deftly assembled into professional-looking centres for the Christmas table

Our Breakfast Club fell on the Second Sunday in Advent so we again lit a candle, this time on a cross made by one of our lady members, and decorated with alternate white and green rosettes. Pastor Jim Beveridge pointed out that the light represents Our Lord Jesus as the Light of the World. There is a general expectation that white is good, but when we pass white light through a prism, an amazing thing happens – it divides into the colours of the rainbow. Pastor Jim likened this marvel to the effect that Jesus brings into the lives of those who put their trust in Him. The ‘ordinary’ aspects of each of those lives are turned into extraordinary events as the Light of Jesus flows through us and touches the lives of others.

RIDING THE WHEEL OF FAITH

Just back from visiting
the Family in the Isle of Man, Pastor Jim Beveridge told the November
Squeeze Breakfast Club of a Victorian roundabout with sit-on horses
and ride-in boats, and driven by water.  Before the grandchildren
could enjoy their ride, Grandma had to move a lever – and everyone
had to wait Wait for the first trough to fill with water to overflowing,
then a slow movement to bring the next trough to the filling position

Could this be a picture
of your life? asked Pastor Jim. Static, unable to move on in faith? 
We need the love of God to be poured into our lives to overflowing before
we can carry along those who need to ride on God’s love and comfort. 
I am the only one who can move the ‘Stop God Working In My Life’
lever.  How much better to ride on God’s Wheel of Faith than
to be a static onlooker!.

LOVE-IN-A-CHRISTMAS-BOX

As part of our November
Squeeze handicrafts, we covered shoe boxes with brightly-coloured gift
wrapping, ready to be filled later with boy or girl, age-related gifts. 
The local effort for this annual event for children in other countries
who may otherwise have nothing at Christmas is run by Pam Kendall through
the Village Information Centre, where a list of suitable items may be
found.

NIGEL’S EXCITING INDUCTION

‘Exciting,’ was Rev.
Nigel (mini-bus mystery trips) Lindsay’s summing up of his induction
to the Pastorate of the Congregational Church in Dundonald Road, Wimbledon. 
It was also the theme of his Vision Statement for God’s work in that
Church.  A congregation of between 80-100 danced around the collection
plate to a recording of the Ugandan Children’s Choir, and raised £420
for the distressed African village of Obamba, which sounds like an
exciting beginning.

A DATE FOR YOUR NEW
DIARIES

Saltmine Theatre Company
is coming to our Church on Saturday 13^th Feb. 2010 for a
one-hour drama presentation of “In the Beginning…” a fresh look
at the Creation story for teenagers and adults.  Admission is £5.00,
and tickets will be on sale in the New Year.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

Squeeze Breakfast Club,
Village Hall, Sun. 3^rd Jan. 2010 from 10am. All ages welcome.
Come when you wish, leave when you must. 
 
 

As a Church, we stress the importance of arriving at a personal faith in Christ Jesus as Saviour from sin and Lord of the life of each individual believer.
We then expect the believer to follow the example of Jesus by being baptised, and at the same time, or soon afterwards, to receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit in an unmistakable manner.

Although the liberal use of water suggests that baptism is a ceremonial washing, indicating an inner cleansing, Scripture emphasises the act as being buried with or into Christ and rising with Him to a new life (Romans ch.6,v4 and Colossians ch.2, v12). It is also “the pledge of a good conscience towards God.” (1 Peter ch.3, v21).

Finding God’s Will

Coral: For a long time I believed that I was baptised. I had been Christened as a baby in the Church of England, by sprinkling, and did not know much about it. I was taken to Sunday School from about the age of three, and later was Confirmed when the Bishop came and laid hands on us. For some time I attended a Baptist Church and saw my first Baptism by immersion, but told myself – I have already been baptised.

A second problem was that I had also received the Holy Spirit, as described by Peter in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2, verse 39. “Repent and be baptised…in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” With many other people,I had gone forward at a meeting in Scarborough, where hands were laid on me and I felt a pleasant, vibrating power beginning at the crown of my head and going right through me. I was told to have faith that I had received the Holy Spirit and that He would bless many others through me. Did not this indicate that God had accepted my infant baptism?

Looking again at Acts, this time at ch10 v34-48, “The Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message (v44), and the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. That was the next hang-up blown away, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit could happen in any order.

I had no memory of my baptism as a baby, I may even have slept through it. I kept looking in the Scriptures to help me make the right decisions, and found in Acts ch19. v1-6, Paul at Ephesus asks some disciples whether they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. The surprising reply was that they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit when they had been baptised by John the Baptist.

Paul told them; “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. John told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus. On hearing this they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

Reading through the Scriptures, the disciples are very insistent that turning away from our old way of life (repentance) followed by baptism in water and receiving God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, all belong together.

My final hang-up was waiting to feel happy about it. Since we came to this church in 1994, I have been faced with Believer’s baptism and dreaded the embarrassment of the public ceremony. Then someone in the church one day described how he had also dreaded his baptism, so I accepted that I must be baptised, and now I feel happy about it! In fact, (looking into the pool), it looks quite inviting. I am here today because I want to please God and do His Will and that’s all that matters really, isn’t it? So here goes!

Knowing Christ Better

Betty: Thank you everyone for coming to this special occasion today; it is a great honour for me to have you all present as witnesses.

I am told that I was Christened originally in Salisbury cathedral when I was a baby, but I remember nothing about that. Since coming to this church regularly, however, I have got to know Jesus better, and had begun to think, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be baptised in our church – it’s my church as well – and feel that I was really part of this lovely Fellowship.

So that is how I came to decide to be baptised this morning. I hope all of you can relate to this brief account. When you are young you think nothing about faith in God, but as you get to know Christ better, you become more friendly and receptive of all that believing in Him involves, and feel more able to take this step which I am taking today.

Thank you again for being here with me.

Foot-Note

For a long time we have had problems getting in and out of our baptismal pool because there were no permanent steps. The day before this baptism, with an infirm candidate, we were led to a set of swimming pool steps languishing in a barn, which when cleaned, fitted the purpose beautifully..
Praise the Lord !

A eulogy delivered at her funeral on 17th July by Jem Sewell

As we gather to give thanks for the life of Joyce, a life that was both full and varied, a life that touched many people, I want to take this opportunity to tell you just some of the details of the 81 years.

Joyce was born in Portsmouth where her father was based in the Royal Navy. She was the middle child with an older brother Des and sister Pauline. Her early life involved several moves of both home and schools starting in Brighton where her father had a smallholding and then the Upper Dicker, Victoria Road Herstmonceux and then to Grove Hill to another smallholding while attending schools in Herstmonceux and Hailsham. Due to the war Joyce left school at 14 and started working for Mr Ade at Grove Hill Farm alongside Steve Bovis where she quickly learnt to drive tractors and handle machinery exceeding the work done by the men!

When Joyce was 19 she married Bernard Ford and they settled at Nearby in Cinderford Lane, a small bungalow with no mains water or electricity. They started a contracting business and worked together ploughing fields, making hay and cutting corn on local farms. Anne was born and often spent many days of her early years travelling with them as they moved from farm to farm, reputedly content to be contained in the baler box and looked after by their dog! ( Those were the days!)

Joyce was a homemaker, gardener, decorater, and with help enjoyed breaking in her own horse as well as rearing chickens from day old to point of lay. In 1958 they moved to Lime End Farm, Herstmonceux and farming took over from contracting. By this time Joyce had had their second child John so there was less work for her on the farm.

However, as well as running the farmhouse and garden, Joyce also bred and traded several horses and ponies, and regularly attended the local hunt and gymkhanas with Anne. She was an excellent cook with many people enjoying hospitality at Lime End and some stayed for extensive periods of time. Steve Bovis was one of these (he had been their best man) and on one occasion a steel girder fell off a trailer injuring his leg. Joyce went out and lifted it off and when later Steve tried to move it he couldn’t! For this he gave her a gold Rolex watch.

A third child Alan was born but Joyce continued to care for others including her parents up until their deaths and her brother Des who stayed with them at the farm prior to being in a home in Hailsham. She was industrious breeding canaries, budgies, finches becoming a member of Hailsham Bird Club as well as rearing Siamese cats.

The operation of agricultural machinery gave way to domestic machines and her sewing machine and knitting machine produced many fine garments which were often given as birthday and Christmas presents. True to the “female” claim she was a real multi-tasker cooking lunch, having a conversation whilst the radio or TV were on and if you suggested turning them off she indignantly replied that she was listening or watching!

Bernards untimely death in 1992 brought about great changes in her life and she subsequently looked for other opportunities to meet people and soon put her energies into Bowls at the Hailsham Bowls Club. Here she met Harry and he encouraged in areas of Art and Dance. Again Joyce quickly became skilled at both winning Ladies Pairs trophy at Bowls, achieving high standard in Line and Wash watercolour and with Harry achieved the Gold Medal standard at both ballroom and Latin American dancing winning a Rumba competition. Their friendship deepened to love and they were married at Boship Farm Hotel which had farming family connections and afterwards moved to “Foxes Corner” at Stone Cross.

The next fourteen years Harry describes as “sweetheart”years, – no work, no children to rear and no money worries yet still close to Joyces family. This was sadly curtailed by the diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease. Harry became her carer with increasing dependence – as a family we feel he did a superb job. She died at home with Harry attending her.

Joyce as I knew her was not a church goer. She cared for people was very good looking, kept herself well and worked hard at all she did. Her faith was not evident but in conversations with Anne it was clear that she had a strong faith in God. As evangelist Angus Buchan when quoting the Bible says “Good people don’t go to heaven – Believers go to heaven.”

Joyce died a believer so she is not here. She is at peace with Him in heaven.

Our once-a-year opportunity to take the Gospel of Jesus to the patients and staff of the District General Hospital, Eastbourne, came around on Sunday 12th July this year. In his welcome, Chaplain Geoffrey Cook reminded us that as well as those present in the Chapel, others would be listening on the hospital radio.

“Come Holy Spirit and meet the needs of each one listening tonight,”
prayed Pastor Jim Beveridge before the broadcast began, then we launched into

Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here…the glory of the Lord is shining all around…the power of the Lord is moving in this place, followed, very appropriately for many in that place by, “Father, I place into Your hands the things I cannot do…the things that I’ve been through…the things that trouble me…”with its repetition, “For I know I always can trust You” Amazing Grace followed, the third verse especially poignant:

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

At that point Pastor Jim suggested a pause for each of us to wait on the Lord, before Jim McDonnell read Psalm 121, which begins:
I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
“I lift my eyes to the hills, commented Pastor Jim. “What better place on such a lovely Summer day as this to find the Creator, the One who touched us in our mother’s womb to make each one of us unique, as our distinctive fingerprints testify.”

We sang Come to my heart, O Thou wonderful love, Come and abide,
and How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear, it soothes his sorrow,heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.

Then the Message, the Hospitality of the Risen Jesus, set out in the Gospel of John chapter 21, beginning at verse 7. Not knowing what to do after the death of Jesus, the disciples have gone back to doing what they did best – fishing, but had caught nothing. A mystery figure on the shore calls “Friends, have you caught anything ? Throw the net on the right side and you will find some.” They make a large catch.

Peter recognises that this is the Risen Jesus and jumps into the water – impatient to be with Him. Jesus is already preparing a meal of fish and bread on the beach for the disciples. For us this might be the equivalent of fish and chips or even a barbecue. A shared meal produces a warm, human reaction; we feel valued and welcomed.

Jesus then moves to Hospital mode – Peter needs healing after his three denials of Christ; three loads of guilt; three bad memories. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love Me ?” and each time he replies “Yes Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus affirms each reply with the command, “Feed My lambs,” or “Feed My Sheep.” Three denials needed three hospital visits.

“For those in hospital today, be hospitable towards those who are tending you,” recommended Pastor Jim. “Then your hospitable actions will affirm them in their vocations, and energise their efforts for you. What better than to be hospitable in hospital; this is what Jesus did – who needs a better example ?”

Ralph played the piano as Pastor Jim led us in a prayer, calling down a blessing on doctors, nurses, dispensers, administrators, cleaners, workers in the laboratory and finance, finishing with “and all you patients.” We took up the music and sang “Jesus, Jesus, Your Name is like honey on my lips, Your Spirit like water to my soul, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet; Jesus, I love You, I love You.”

By now our half-hour must have finished, but we sang on: There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God’s own Son, and “ What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! Then it was time to push the wheelchairs back to the wards. Let us remember to support our local hospitals in prayer regularly, and not wait for another year to pass

HYMNS QUOTED ARE USED UNDER LICENCE.