At the beginning of April, with the daffodils in full bloom here, there seems to me more time this year to 'take stock' before we begin to turn our thoughts towards Easter Sunday.

As a church fellowship we have reviewed the last twelve months and Sheila Conacher's excellent and comprehensive report at the Annual General Meeting is included in this newsletter along with other reviews of different aspects of the community life in Aston Tirrold.

These are some of the thoughts we shared during our morning worship, which led up to the AGM:

From Revelation 3 v 11: Hold on to what you have….

Not in the sense of either trying to survive, or being complacent or suggesting that we stand still, but holding on to faith, to truth, to the strength God has given; holding on to the grace he offers; to enthusiasm for the kingdom; to love for one another.

There are two refrains in Psalm 107 which the psalmist uses in responding to the dire situations that we get into and the way God shows us the way forward:

and

In looking at the seven churches mentioned in Revelation (which the Bible study group have been studying), we perhaps can see that our church bears a strong resemblance to the church in Philadelphia in the following ways:

- Philadelphos is the Greek word for one who loves his brother/sister. We are none of us without faults yet we can all be accepting and covered by this love by grace.

- It is a border town – small – on the edge; there as an outreach to spread the Greek culture and language.

- It is a place on the edge of earthquakes where there are risks, yet because of the lava flows is very fertile.

- So it needed courage to be there and its security was not in the buildings (which could be swept away) but in the love which bonded its people together.

- It was a place which had little strength in its influence on the centres of civilisation; yet because it kept God's word; because it did not deny his name, because it endured patiently then those who came acknowledged it was a place where God's love was paramount;

And before the church in Philadelphia was placed an open door – an opportunity to share the message of the gospel with others - and an open door to prayer because Jesus said 'I am the door'.

Write on him a new name – all other churches in Revelation are now in ruins except Smyrna and Philadelphia – perseverance and continuity of witness down through the centuries.

So the challenge for us at this point is:

- From our financial strength gifted to us from the past and from the recent growth. To give more, not just by an increase our giving to charities from 5% of our church income, but to become more deeply involved in a project for Justice and Peace.

- As a gathered community with many groups coming in from other places, to look at our contact with the local village and be more accessible than we already are.

- To be more aware of the needs of those within our community who are giving of themselves in 'mothering' visitors who come to receive.

God said – so they will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them
(Numbers 6 v27). He has put his name on this place and his blessing:

Grace and Love -

Keith

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CHURCH CALENDAR - April/May 2000

Saturday 15 April 10am-4pm 'Easter Reflections' in the Centre led by Keith Green

Sunday 16 April - Palm Sunday 10.30am Joint Service with procession complete with donkey and palm leaves, beginning at our church and ending in All Saints, Aston Upthorpe. Young people welcome to come along and participate.

Thursday 20 April - Maundy Thursday 10am-4pm An overflow Quiet Day 'Easter Reflections' led by Keith Green and Hanni Griffiths – bookings to Keith Green

Friday 21 April - Good Friday 10.30am Meditations led by Keith Green

Sunday 23 April - Easter Day 10.30am Morning Worship with communion led by Keith Green Please note there will be no evening service on this fourth Sunday.

Thurs 27 April 10am-12.30pm ACTS Quiet morning led by Keith Green

Sunday 30 April 10.30am Morning Worship led by June Colley

Sunday 7 May 10.30am Morning Worship with communion led by Keith Green. Junior Church available

Sunday 14 May 10.30am Joint service in our church for Christian Aid week – preacher Father Christopher Walker and led by Keith Green. Junior Church in the Centre.

Thurs 18 May 10am-4pm Open Quiet Day led in the morning by Keith Green. No need to book – just drop in – 10.20 start.

Sunday 21 May 10.30am Morning Worship Lay Preachers/Exchange Sunday. Junior Church in the Centre.

Sunday 28 May 2.30pm Centre open. At 4.30pm Sheila Conacher on Guatemala, followed by tea and 6pm Evening reflections

Friday 2 June 6.30pm Elders Supper and meeting at Sheila Conacher's home

Sunday 4 June 10.30am Morning Worship with communion led by Keith Green. Junior church available.

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BIBLE STUDY GROUP

…started in February last year when half a dozen of us met in the Quiet Room fortnightly on Tuesdays afternoons for an hour and a half.

Our early studies took us through the book of Hebrews looking at our faith as we began to build relationships within the group and going on to being challenged to "take risks".

The Old Testament 'minor prophets' gave us much food for thought and discussions during the early summer. What, we asked ourselves could these 'fusty' old books have to say to us in the latter half of the twentieth century? We were pleasantly surprised – well not always pleasantly!

The titles from a book by Dr Stuart Briscoe Taking God Seriously gave us starting points…

….all these can be applied to today's Christian. – And it was also good practice in finding our way through the 'old' part of the Bible!

We were unanimous in our choice of what to study as we drew to the end of the millennium – Revelation! Little did we realise how many treasures (and puzzles) are buried in this fascinating book. We needed the help of many 'guides' and spent one afternoon watching a BBC video. Sheila Mitchell always refreshes our thoughts with her art work and we had a lot of fun letting our imaginations run wild with the images contained in this book of scripture.

At the end of the year we felt that it would be good to continue grappling with Revelation until Lent and it has certainly been rewarding. We compared our own church in Aston Tirrold with the seven churches in Revelation and this certainly challenged our complacency. We are nowhere near finishing with this book and will probably go back to it in the future.

During the weeks leading up to Easter we have been asking ourselves how we put our faith into practice and using the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel as a base for our studies.

Our group is still only six strong, but we have developed a trust and commitment to each other during this past year. We would really welcome new members to join us on alternate Tuesday afternoons.

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The art group meets on Thursday afternoons twice monthly: 2.30-4.30pm. Dates for the next session are May 11 and 25, June 8 and 22, July 13 and 27.

There will also be a whole day of painting on Saturday, 1 July, on the theme "Art from the source". For further details contact Sheila Mitchell

In addition to those noted in the last Newsletter, there were the following events:

Tues 14 March 10am-4pm Church of the Holy Family, Blackbird Leys: quiet day

Mon 27 March 7.45pm Finance Committee

Wed 29 March 7pm District Executive Committee

In April and May bookings are as follows:

Sat 1 April 8.30am-4pm All Saints, Marcham, with Rev Robin Lapwood
and 10am-4pm at Copse Stile House: Dorchester Ecumenical Group

Thur 6 April 2.30-4.30pm Art at Aston Tirrold

Sat 8 April 9am-12.30pm Reading & Oxford Elders training, with Keith Green
3pm Wedding in church
2-6pm Children's party in Centre

Thur 13 April 2.30-4.30pm Art at Aston Tirrold
6pm Arrival of bellringers: Welsh Colleges Society of Change Ringers with Chris Mundy for overnight stay until 16 April

Thur 11 May 2.30-4.30pm Art at Aston Tirrold

Sat 13 May 10am-4pm Churches in Reading, Women's Centre: quiet day with Sheila Goldsmith

Tues 16 May 7pm District Church Treasurers

Thur 18 May 7pm District Pastoral Committee

Sat 20 May Emmanuel Methodist Church: quiet day with Derek Shaw

Mon 22 May 11am-5.15pm Thatcham Women's Group with Phyllis Read

Tues 23 May 7pm District Finance & Property Committee

Thur 25 May 2.30-4.30pm Art at Aston Tirrold

Sat 27 May St Columba's Church, Oxford: church conference

Tues 30 May District Executive Committee

The Quiet Room will be in regular use by Ann Morton for the next four or five months, at the following times:

Mondays 5.30-7.30pm; Wednesdays 11am-5.30pm; Thursdays 5.30-7.30pm

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CHURCH SECRETARY'S REVIEW 1999-2000

This is my second Annual Review, and in some ways it has been more difficult to write, as much that I said last year could well be repeated!

Aston Tirrold URC, and the Centre for Reflection, continue to be places of blessing, spiritual renewal and growth, and friendship, not only for members of our church community, but also for many people who come to the Centre from near and far for quiet days, meetings, or social occasions.

Worship on Sundays is central to Christian life and development, giving us the opportunity to be quiet for a while, to know the presence of God, to praise, pray and listen. At Aston Tirrold we continue to be both encouraged and challenged by the thoughtfulness and spiritual depth of Keith's ministry. We appreciate also his friendship and concern for all who come to the church, from the tiniest child through all the age groups!

The numbers coming regularly, both to morning worship and the monthly evening service of reflection, has gradually increased. We were pleased to welcome four new members in December: Andrew and Ruth Ruck, Georgina George and Gerald Threadgold, each of whom makes a significant contribution to the life of the church.

In recording our appreciation of Keith's ministry, we also recognise the support he has from Gill, and thank her for all that she does for the church and Centre. Gill successfully completed a four-year Education for Ministry course last year, and has recently been selected to be a mentor for other students undertaking the course, and we congratulate her on this achievement. We were all delighted when Keith and Gill celebrated the birth of their first grandchild in August, and when Katie Marie was brought to Aston Tirrold in March for a special service of blessing by her grandfather.

It is sometimes hard to remember that Keith's ministry at Aston Tirrold URC is officially part-time (25%), as he does so much, not only leading our services of worship, usually on three Sundays a month, but also in keeping in touch with us all, supporting the Junior Church and Elders, chairing meetings, and arranging programmes of creative and quiet days in the Centre … and much more. Keith is, of course, involved with the Silence & Retreats movement, and leads quiet days and retreats in other places.

Thanks to Ann Morton, our Pulpit Secretary, services on Sundays when Keith is not with us are led by a wide variety of visiting preachers and ministers, to whom we are always very grateful.

Ann has also been busy in the past few months up-dating the history of Aston Tirrold URC. This history follows on from where Monument to Faith ended, and covers the ministry of the Revd Gordon Harris and the first three years of Keith's ministry. It makes very interesting reading, and we are grateful to Ann for undertaking this time-consuming work, with her usual thoroughness and elegant style.

During the past year, we have shared in four services with our Anglican friends: a Christian Aid service at North Moreton in May, a service for One World Week in October, the Remembrance service at the War Memorial and All Saints on 14 November, and the Millennium Ecumenical service of Light at South Moreton on 2 January. Early in October we celebrated our Harvest Festival and Celebration of Flowers, with the theme 'For the beauty of the earth', after which we enjoyed a bring and share lunch with friends from Trinity Church, Abingdon. The church was beautifully decorated with flowers by Peggie Barton and her 'team', and there were many gifts of fruit and vegetables. On 7 November our Church Anniversary service was led by the Revd Nina Mead.

In December we enjoyed a Crib service and Nativity play presented by Junior Church on the 19th, a traditional Carols and Readings service by candlelight on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas Day Morning Communion.

Junior Church continues to meet on third Sundays and we now have an established team of leaders and helpers providing stories and activities for children. We were greatly encouraged when Monica Titterton kindly offered to provide Junior Church activities also on first Sunday mornings, starting last August. We are now considering how we can re-arrange Junior Church activities on first Sundays, so that Monica will be able to join us for the monthly Communion service. We are enormously grateful to all who lead Junior Church, to teach the children Bible stories and songs, and encourage their creativity.

The Art Group, led by Sheila Mitchell, continues to flourish and is greatly enjoyed by all who attend, and we have all been impressed by the murals and paintings they have produced. The Bible Study group has continued to meet on alternate Tuesday afternoons throughout the year. The 'minor' prophets were studied last summer, and in the autumn we bravely tackled the book of Revelation. Recently the group has been considering the theme of 'putting our faith into practice'. The Worship Group meets from time to time, very informally, to plan services which they lead three or four times a year. New members would be very welcome at all these groups. A series of house meetings has been held in various homes, but unfortunately these are often poorly attended, probably because we do not publicize them sufficiently, and we shall try to do better!

Drop-In Quiet Days have been offered monthly throughout the year in the Centre for Reflection on Thursdays, under the auspices of the Quiet Garden Trust. Meditations are led at 1pm by a team of leaders, some from Aston Tirrold and some from other churches in the area, and their ministry is much appreciated and valued. The Centre has also been open for drop-in quiet afternoons from 2.30 on fourth Sundays, preceding tea/coffee and conversation and the evening reflective-style service. We are grateful to those who come to open the Centre and host these drop-in sessions, and hope that all who come are refreshed in the peace and stillness of the Centre and Garden. A progamme of Saturday creative days was arranged, but unfortunately some had be cancelled due to lack of support. However, 'Autumn Reflections' and 'Advent Reflections' were over-subscribed, as also is 'Easter Reflections' to be held later this month.

All the church groups that come to the Centre for their own Quiet Days or meetings appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, the cheerful hall, and the tranquil garden. Bookings have been steady throughout the year, to the point where at times we would be unable to cope with any more, and the Centre is now self-financing. Many thanks are due to Pat Hardcastle, who deals so kindly and efficiently with all who contact her to make bookings for the Centre. From time to time we see pleas from Pat in the Newsletter for more hosts and welcomers, and I know that I for one have failed to respond to this request. It would be a great help to Pat if there were a larger pool of people who would take a turn in meeting and greeting the groups who come to the Centre - mostly on Saturdays but also sometimes during the week.

Many of you will have noticed the vine, kindly donated by Bill Bradshaw, which was planted at the front of the Centre last year to mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Centre at Pentecost 1998. We are also indebted to Bill for all he does in the Quiet Garden, planting, sweeping up leaves, and keeping the hedges trimmed and tidy.

A new addition to the Centre is the beautiful stained-glass window in the Quiet Room, designed and made by Jackie Shayler-Webb, with the theme of the outer landscape and inner journey. The window appeared without any ceremony, but with its rainbow colours and spiritual theme, provides an expressive focus for meditation.

Many people contribute quietly and unobtrusively to the life of the church and Centre. I have already mentioned Pat's role as Bookings Secretary, but she also edits the Newsletter, which requires not only editing skills, but also tact and diplomacy to ensure that publication dates are achieved. Peg Shearer also devotes a great deal of her time and talents as Treasurer, looking after the finances of the church and Centre, and keeping meticulous accounts; this work is much appreciated. We are very grateful to Peg and to the members of the Finance Group. In addition, Peg types the Newsletter, another important and time-consuming task.

I have already mentioned the contribution that Ann Morton makes as Pulpit Secretary and Worship Group co-ordinator, and it is clear that the devotion of Ann, Pat and Peg contributes enormously to the smooth running of Aston Tirrold URC.

I should also like to mention our appreciation of the talents of our organists, James, Julian, Rosemary, Jane, Barbara and Gordon, who add an essential musical dimension to our Sunday worship. We are grateful to Peggie Barton for her beautiful floral arrangements, and to others who provide and arrange flowers from time to time. Our thanks go to Julie Young, who writes the Minutes of most of our meetings, and who has also kindly offered to set up a library which I am sure will be well used; and to John Spencer for looking after the property; and to all who help with coffee/tea-making; and to all who come and enrich our church fellowship in many different ways.

I must not forget to mention the traditional Burns Night supper which many of us so much enjoyed at the end of January. This was a delightful evening, very well organised by John Garvey and the Social Committee, with all the right food and drink, poems, music and dancing - and, of course, good company.

Thanks to Julian Gallop's initiative and expertise, both the Church and the Centre are now on the World Wide Web, and Julian has kindly undertaken to keep the information on our two sites up to date.

We greatly value our contacts within the URC and with Christians of other denominations in this country, and in the wider world we have links with Riverside Community Church in Oregon, USA, Silveira House in Zimbabwe, and the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana, Punjab.

I hope that this brief review will remind us of the many blessings we have received at Aston Tirrold URC in the past year, in which we have been privileged to see the dawn of the third Millennium. We know that in this turbulent and troubled world we cannot stay forever in green pastures and beside still waters, but we are grateful to God for this quiet and serene place, where our anxious souls are restored and we find spiritual refreshment and peace.

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NOTICES

for Aston Tirrold United Reformed Church: http://www.aturc.freeuk.com
for the Centre for Reflection: http://www.reflect.freeuk.com

Please send items for the next Newsletter (early June) to Pat Hardcastle or Julie Young by the weekend of 20/21 May.

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The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of Aston Tirrold URC.