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Church
10 July – SEA SUNDAY: remembering seafarers worldwide Acts For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles' Signs & Symbols: Holy Water What does water mean to you? Why drugs? It's easy to be the perfect minister
10 July – SEA SUNDAY: remembering seafarers worldwide
Sea Sunday has an extra significance as this year is SeaBritain 2005, a national celebration of our maritime heritage, and also the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar which will be the highlight of the festivities.
In Richard's Bay, South Africa, The Mission to Seafarers chaplain Jaco Dryer remembers the night a seafarer walked into the seafarers' centre chapel and poured out his pain and anger.
“We ministered to him, prayed with him and cried with him,” said Jaco. “He walked out that night uplifted with new hope in his heart. When I saw him the next day on his ship he couldn't stop thanking us for being there for him.”
In Dunkerque, chaplain Phil Hiscock was asked by a ship's master if he could buy a church candle. “I was happy to give him one of ours,” said Phil, “even more so when he explained about the regular prayers at 1800 hours on Sundays and Wednesdays that he held on board. I arranged to visit and it was good to have prayer and fellowship with him.”
For 34 days, sometimes twice a day, the Mission's Bahrain chaplain Victor Salve visited a seafarer in hospital as he recovered from heart surgery. He kept the seafarers' family, who were not able to be with him, assured of his progress and well-being before and after surgery.
These stories are examples of how The Mission to Seafarers shows God's love to seafarers in a ministry supported by the prayers of parishes in the UK and overseas.
On Sea Sunday, July 10, congregations can give thanks for the contribution that seafarers make in all our lives by remembering and praying for seafarers, their families and those who serve them.
Sea Sunday is jointly organised by The Mission to Seafarers and its kindred societies, the Apostleship of the Sea (Roman Catholic) and the British & International Sailors' Society (interdenominational).
The Mission to Seafarers (formerly The Missions to Seamen) is a missionary society of the Anglican Church. It cares for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all races and creeds in 230 ports throughout the world. Working through a network of chaplains and staff, on average each year it makes 71,400 ship visits and welcomes 602,000 seafarers to its centres, visits 900 seafarers in hospital and helps in around 1,000 justice and welfare cases.
For more details: www.missiontoseafarers.org
Acts For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles'
No. 7: Council of Jerusalem
'Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Eph 4:3). Unity was of primary importance to the first Christians, in a church with an astonishing racial and cultural mix. Just as today, failing to exhibit unity compromises the very gospel of reconciliation that we preach.
This concern was highlighted in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), when the unity of the church was under threat. As Gentiles joined the church, it was the conservative Jewish Christians who said, 'it is necessary to circumcise them (i.e. the Gentiles) and to charge them to keep the law of Moses' (15:5). At heart the issue concerned whether faith in Christ alone was sufficient, or whether other conditions should be imposed upon them? In their case it was Christ plus other demands brought over from Judaism. In our own church today, it can be Christ plus laying on of hands, Christ plus speaking in tongues, Christ plus rebaptism and so on.
How did the apostles respond? After listening to Peter, the testimony of Paul and Barnabas and applying Scripture, they reached a decision. While agreeing that circumcision should not to be demanded of Gentile Christians, they were asked to forego eating meat offered to idols or from which the blood had not been drained and immorality.
What can we learn from them about maintaining unity within our own church life? They allowed free and open debate. They stood firm on essentials, while compromising on inessentials. They permitted variety in practice among different cultural groups.
Do we value unity as highly as these early Christians? Like them, we should aim for what 'seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us' (28).
Signs & Symbols: Holy Water
Last month we looked at stoops by the entrance to the church, so this month let's think about the Holy water that is within them.
Many thousands of people have experienced Holy water at Lourdes, in France, where St Bernadette was told by the Immaculate Conception to scratch the ground and a stream broke from the ground. It still flows today, and you can bathe in the waters as well as fill containers to bring away from the many standpipes that have been placed for this purpose.
However the amount of water from Holy places one can transport home is limited and so normally the water in the stoop is Holy because it has been blessed for this purpose by a priest. It usually also contains a small amount of salt.
Why does the Church use salt in holy water? Firstly, probably because that's the way the Jews had done it to begin with. But secondly, because of the symbolical meaning of salt. Just as water is used for cleansing and for quenching fire, so salt is used to preserve from decay. Therefore the Church combines them to express the various reasons why it is used - to help to wash away the stains of sin, to quench the fire of our passions, to preserve us from relapses into sin.
Moreover, salt is regarded as a symbol of wisdom. Our Lord called His Apostles "the salt of the earth," because by them the knowledge of the Gospel was to be spread over the world. The custom of using salt is a very ancient one, and is traced by some to the second or third century.
To use the Holy water from the stoop, just dip in the tips of one or two fingers and then make the sign of the cross over yourself. Or you can just sign a cross on your forehead. As you do so it is customary to say the words, 'In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost".
Somewhere in England there is a palindrome (a word or phrase that reads the same back as well as forwards, e.g. Hannah) in Greek letters carved in the stone around a stoop. Translated into English it read,' Wash my sins and not just my hands.'
This month If you could carve a few words around a Holy water stoop, what would it be?
What does water mean to you?
Did you have to visit the bathroom when you woke up this morning? Did you stop a few times during today and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee? Did you know that one sixth of the world's population does not enjoy this luxury?
Over one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion have nowhere safe and hygienic to go to the toilet.
The charity WaterAid has a vision of a world in which everyone has access to safe water and sanitation facilities. But there is still a lot to do. The daily reality for many in the developing world is that they wake before dawn to embark on a walk to their nearest watering hole, which can sometimes be several miles away, to collect water for their family. Once they reach their destination they often queue for hours with other women and children to collect a bucket of dirty water.
Clean drinking water is essential to life and a basic human right. Without access to safe water and sanitation people in the developing world are caught in a cycle of ill health and poverty.
As a consequence a child dies every 15 seconds from easily preventable water-related diseases.
The power of water is far reaching. Teme Rata lives in Ethiopia and is a mother of six. Her life was dominated by the need for clean water.
“We used to use springs for drinking, for our cattle and for irrigation,” explains Teme. “We used to get so sick from the water. There were many, many worms. I always used to fear for my children when they had to drink the water. I was worried it would put their lives at risk.”
Three years ago WaterAid and its partner Progynist began working with Teme's community and now they enjoy the benefits of clean water, minimal sickness and a chance to work themselves out of poverty growing and selling vegetables.
It costs WaterAid just £15 to provide somebody like Teme with a lasting supply of safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
WaterAid are experts in implementing long term, sustainable projects that will benefit communities in Africa and Asia for years to come. It is committed to helping communities work themselves out of poverty. WaterAid is also engaging with international decision-makers to ensure that the voices of the world's poor are listened to and acted upon. WaterAid is part of the 2005 Make Poverty History coalition calling for more and better aid, trade justice and debt relief for developing countries.
Visit: www.wateraid.org
Why drugs?
Huddled in a doorway in Kabul, an emaciated ex-soldier injects heroin. On a campus in Yemen a group of students get high chewing qat; while in a backstreet of Nairobi a couple of ragged street children sniff glue.
All over Feba's listening areas, people are trying to escape from reality by taking drugs. Often they live in miserable situations, like the people of war-torn southern Sudan and its many refugees. Many of them rely on bhang – a form of cannabis – to get them through the day.
It's easy to understand the despair of those who have been traumatised by war and bereaved, or have lost their homes. But what makes a young person with an apparently stable home and a good education turn to drugs? Looking for friendship. Researchers tell us that drug abuse is often linked to a lack of parental control. There is evidence of this in India's big cities. In a booming economy prices are soaring, and many parents are so preoccupied with earning a living that they don't pay attention to their children. Young people looking for friendship visit pubs and clubs – and so get drawn into the drug culture.
Once a person in the developing world gets addicted, it's hard to get help. Drug rehabilitation centres are few. That makes prevention all the more crucial – and radio all the more significant. Feba India's youth programme on one of the FM stations in Bangalore, offers a good platform for some straight talking about drugs, especially as one of its presenters is a recovered addict and speaks from experience.
In the Middle East the Arabic team has been airing features on the narcotic leaf qat. Its widespread use is causing huge concern in Yemen and other countries. Not only is it ruining the health of the workforce, but its cultivation is depleting the precious water supply.
In Mombasa, Kenya, Sam Makenda of Feba's community station Baraka FM adopts a bold stand against the city's army of drug pushers. On his talk show he encourages listeners to phone in with the names and whereabouts of dealers, and then informs the authorities. This has resulted in a number of arrests.
Offering hope. Feba programmers advise on drug abuse but most importantly of all they make known the power of Christ to change lives.
Such as the Sudanese refugee and former drug addict who wrote: “I was completely frustrated, thinking that I am now useless. But one day I heard Feba talking about addictions and giving hope to useless people like me. I decided to throw away my bhang and try that life the Feba radio are trying to tell me. Now I am saved, and useful in the community."
Visit: www.feba.org.uk
It's easy to be the perfect minister
A recent survey has compiled all the qualities that people expect from the perfect young minister. They are easy to follow:
The perfect minister preaches for exactly 12 minutes.
He/she frequently condemns sin but never upsets anyone.
He/she works from 8 a.m. until midnight and is on call 24/7, but is always relaxed, with time for a coffee with you whenever you like.
He/she makes £200 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about £100 a week to the poor.
He/she is 28 years of age, but he's been preaching for 30 years.
He/she is wonderfully gentle with everyone and always gives people in the church their way, but the church is run supremely efficiently.
He/she is amazingly good-looking and eligible, but too committed to your church to want a private life.
He/she gives of themselves completely, but never gets too close to anyone to avoid criticism.
He/she speaks boldly on social issues, but never becomes politically involved.
He/she has an outstanding 'street cred' with the teenagers, spends many happy hours each week lighting up the lives of your church's senior citizens, and is very popular with all the mums and tots.
He/she makes 15 daily calls to church families, visits shut-ins and the hospitalized, spends all his time evangelizing the un-churched, is something of a notable scholar (writing an authoritative book on Hebrews), and is always in the office when needed.
Told you – it's easy!
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