abbotsford.org.uk

The bookend buzz

I've pasted here a question Sandra aksed further upstream and a few times a while back about getting the lowdown on some of the books Bookends have read and if possible you write a few lines about whetehr it is worth reading in the bath. But why should I say it... here's Sandra's post.

to all those in "Bookends":-

is there any way we can get a wee run down of what you thought of the books you read? I simply don't have time to read one book a month (I'm too busy running after a husband and two children as they relax and each read at least half a library each month!);)
however, if there is a particularly good book that Bookends would recommend, then maybe I could take a nice glass of Fair Trade vino and relax in the bath now and again ........ ?

It would be easy to do. Just hit the Bookends category and give us your thoughts. Maybe a prize of the next months book free for the first to post a comment. Sandra will pay!

greener shade of life

Big green stuff happening this week in the congregation. we're working hard to be an eco-congregation and have got a few things lined up this weeked.

Blue bin arrives for the congregation this week
Recycle bin for plastics in the kitchen
Recycle bin for notice sheets at the door
new bins for
spectacles
mobile phones
stamps
print cartages
new gift-catalogues for goats, camels and stuff
new books available for people to reference from re: recycling
eco-intimations once a month with details and stuff

Brilliant. All of it. And there will be other stuff too. Bet you all want to be involved in some way? Well you can. We need a green group and if anyone wants to be part of that then emails me, speak to me, phone me, but don't write since that uses up too much paper and stuff.

Also there a new catagory for this kind of discussion.

this is all Christine's doing. She's our green angel, green giant, green machine, whateever. St Christine - you're a recycled star.

Okay. Go green the gospel from this weekend.

I'm lovin' it more than McDonalds.

Turning coffee into goats

And so the campaign continues. Barbara got a reply from Colin. We're all on first name terms now. We'll need to send them a "Welcome to your new home" card when they arrive we seem to know tham so well already. Anyway, I've pasted the reply here (hope you don't mind Barbara). Of course, what we could do is try and persaude other coffee shops that sell fairtrade coffee to do the goat things too. Marks and Spencer?!?!

Barbara,

Thank you very much for your interest in Progreso and your kind words.

Sadly we can't take credit for the idea - it's an alternative gifting
programme from Oxfam called "Oxfam Unwrapped"

http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com

Oxfam started up Progreso Cafes, and are the majority shareholder in the
business. And of course coffee was first discovered by goats in Ethiopia
(the discovery is usually attributed to the goat herder, Kaldi, but I
think that's rather unfair) so it seemed like a good idea to reward
loyalty with goats rather than the usual free latte.

We will be looking at sites outside London, and the west end of Glasgow
is just the right sort of location for Progreso coffee bars.

Thanks again for your interest,

Best Regards,

Colin
www.progreso.org.uk

Did I mention...

...a big sing on Thursday. 8pm

Snakes in the grass

Yesterday we were in the wilderness with snakes sent in order to teach the Israelites a lesson about moaning. God, so we are told, gave them something to moan about. But then came the bronze snake on a pole and anyone who looked was healed.

What do people think about thaqt story? Seriously. You get these stories regularly in the bible that seem to come from a totally different mindset, because it was a iron/bronze age mind that constructed them. But they are still there in the bible and we have to confront them honestly. So seriously, when you come across stories like that, do you believe them as historical fact; do you believe them literally; do you believe them existentially; do you not believe them at all; do you believe they survive for no apparent reason and teach us little about God, justice or the Good News?

I'm not going take notes here about who believes what. I'm genuinely interested in a discussion about the way we handle these kinds of stories.

Personally I have great problems taking these things historically and literally. Or if the essence of them is historically true, I don't beleive God has intervened in them at all, we just choose or not choose to interpret them that way. But I'd like to be part of a discussion that gets a handle on these kinds of stories and how to care for them with integrity. What do you think? There is no right or wrong answer here and we genuinely respect everyone's poiint of view - the more the merrier. Jump in - you won't get bitten.

Coffee flavoured goats

Evelyn, being a star, wrote to progreso, the coffee people in London who swap refills for real live goats in Africa. She's just got a reply and I hope she doesn't mind but I've posted it here:

Thank you very much for your interest in Progreso. The response has been fantastic, and confirmed to us that there are loads of people out there who will support an alternative business model.

The first 2 Progreso sites are both open now in London. We will be looking at sites outside of London, and the west end of Glasgow is exactly the sort of location that is of interest to us. We will be updating our website with information on other sites as they are confirmed.

Best Wishes,

Colin Hopkins
www.progreso.org.uk

So, folks, I think a wee campaign is in order here, if you are willing to send off a wee email saying the west End of Glasgow already has a queue of people waiting for coffee served like this. We'd even organise a bus trip. It's Matthew Alge who seem to own progreso and the email address is [email protected] if you want to send them a wee email. I am.

I'm going to tell them about the million goats we've already bought and the 1000 meals and stuff. You can never have enough goats.

Big Sing

Just a wee reminder for those that don't hear the notices and don't get round to reading them, or can't be there to get them - THERE'S A BIG SING ON THURSDAY THIS WEEK AT 8PM. Way hay. Good lively stuff (some of it), excellent chidlren's hymns (some of them), fabulous easter songs (some of them), interesting psalms (some of them) and all of you.

See you there.

Chocolate Teapots

Thanks for your input this week. It really was a help. There were a number of emails, many to me privately about what you saw when you looked at the cross and I think I mentioned them all in the sermon today. So thanks for that.

This weeks exciting episode moves excitment into a new realm. We're onto Jeremiah 31:31-34 and God vandalising our hearts. Hearts are fabulous things. Have you ever seen a giraffes heart? Fantastic. Because the giraffe is so tall the heart has to be really strong to pump the blood all the way to its head but when it bends down for a drink then the bloodpressure would rise sky-high unless the heart beat a little less strong, but when it wants to raise its head back up then the heart has to go itno overdrive because otherwise that brain would be somewhat starved of blood and it would get all dizzy and woosy and a brunk griaffe can't be a good thing. And then those surgically stockinged legs, tight, tight skin so that very strong heart (at least twice the size of a humans) doesn't pump too much blood into the legs.

Just amazing. Anyway, what were we talking about... O yes, hearts. What makes yours race? What law do you have written over yours? When does it miss a beat? What does God sound like - a heartbeat?

Prizes this week to any answers posted, or if you can find out anything about the hearts of any other animal. David Attenborough eat your... eh... heart out... as they say. Not a pleasant thought.

Goats for coffee

There is a couple of new coffee shops in London called Progresso where instead of getting a free refill, you can get a card stamped and each stamp goes towards buying a goat in Africa. A whole card buys a whole goat. Isn't that just a fabulously cool and sensible idea? When will Progresso come anywhere close to us? Let's write to them. I'd go there every time.

That Bronze Snake

This Lenten wilderness
will it ever end?
Will we ever see Jerusalem
and dance among the tombs?
Will these stones turn to bread
and this sand to promise fulfilled?
How long must we bow our heads
against the wind
against the loneliness
watching the stones and rock pass beneath us?
When can we lift our heads?
When can we raise them
and with our own eyes
shout Alleluia when we see what lies before us?

And what shall we see when we do?
What vision of life and truth will be lifted up before us?

The cross.
The saviour.
When we lift our eyes up from this ground
we will see God
hanging from the tree.

When will this Lenten wilderness ever end
and good news come?