St John's New Web Address

Please note the change of our web address! The web address is now www.plwyfwrecsam.org.uk/index.php/en/stjhome.html  or www.wrexhamparish.org.uk and then follow the link to St John's.

Local Missionary Prayer Group

It's almost three years since the local prayer group for 'local' missionaries was started. We meet at 4 Caernarvon Road on the second Thursdayof every month except when announced otherwise. We start at 7.30pm and finish at 9.00 o'clock promptly to enable people to get up betimes the next morning.

The 'local' missionaries prayed for are as follows:

St John's link missionaries, Paul and Grace Robinson who are working with OMF International in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Johnny and Ann McClean of Borras Park Evangelical Church. They work with the UFM (Unevangelised Fields' Mission and are working in four different universities in Bangkok, Thailand, with university students.

Mike and Rachel Hill who are working with OMF International in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Rachel Hill is the sister of Gareth Jones' wife (Jean) at Christ Church. Gareth is the pastor of Christ Church.

Our group has eight members with a regular attendance of six people. There is room for you, too, so you would be made very welcome!

Rebekah's Farewell

After her arrival in Wrexham Rebekah Budigapogu found out that her course at Glyndwr University was not available. Sophie and David Dixon kindly invited her to stay with them. This she did for the past six months. Her close friend Jaffar and another 15 or so people responded to Rebekah's invitation to a delicious farewell meal in the Dixons' home on Wednesday evening, 4^thJanuary, when David Edwards gave a farewell message.

The next day David, Sophie and Jaffar drove Rebekah to Manchester Airport where there was an emotional farewell as Rebekah said how much she had enjoyed her time in Wrexham.

Many of us at St John's Church will be remembering Rebekah for a long time to come. You can see pictures of the evening party at the Dixons' home on St John's website. The new web address is now www.plwyfwrecsam.org.uk/index.php/en/stjhome.html  or www.wrexhamparish.org.uk under 'Recent Events'.

News from the Badger-Watts Family

We are now well into our second year in Cardiff. The time really has flown! We were thinking over Christmas, how this time next year, we will be preparing to move back to North Wales. We are all doing well and enjoying our time here. The children are very settled and Mariat last has joined the others in school and much to her excitement was finally able to go on the school bus.

Elinwho is now nine, found it hardest to settle into school when we first moved. Now she has found a really good set of friends and really enjoys maths, going swimming and gym. Jacwho is seven, is also growing up very fast. He is a natural performer and we were very proud of him when he sang a solo in the College Carol Service of 'Once in Royal David's City'. Gethinloves anything to do with Cars 2 toys and Lego and Mari continues to flourish trying desperately to (and more often than not she manages to…) follow in everyone else's footsteps.

Carlcontinues with his work at Velindre. He has not found this year quite as easy, balancing work and home, so he has had to alter his work pattern slightly, which has helped. Carl and the children, continue to worship at St Mark's Church, a modern evangelical church. Carl has a lot of support there and the opportunity occasionally to play for worship. The spouses group has developed in College this year, so Carl has been able to build up some really good relationships and support.

As a family we have all settled back into College after the long summer break. The children are really happy to be back and enjoy being part of community life. The new first year students are a really nice group, and now it seems like they have always been there. The schedule at College is still quite time consuming. I am in at 7.45am for Morning Prayer, and then there are lectures between 9am and 4pm, evening prayer at 5pm and supper at 6pm. Generally I get home just in time to sort the children out for bed and then restart on some study. I have been singing in the College choir, which has been good fun this year. Over Christmas we sang carols in Llandaff High Street, in a local residential home, and in two of the local pubs. Also a filmcrew from BBC Wales is following Ordinands from St Michael's (every so often a camera pops up on the Horizon)so they were filming the singing, which will make very interesting viewing!!!

With the course, the people, college and four settled children we have felt really blessed since moving here. I am learning such a lot about ministry; from the course, the prayer, worship, the community and my placements and

am now starting to eagerly anticipate life in Parish ministry. Over the summer I hope to have a four week summer placement in a Church in London, learning about mission and community, which will be a great opportunity which I am really looking forward to.

We still miss everyone at St John's and we continue to pray for you all. Hopefully we will be able to pop in in the not too distant future.

With our love and best wishes for a Blessed and fruitful New Year,

Lorraine, Carl, Elin, Jac, Gethin and Mari XXXXX

Parish Register

Funeral:

14.12.11: Ira Johnson

Psalm 23

We continue our series of personally written 'Psalm 23' with. This one I received by email on 05.10.11 from a friend, G. Dore, from when David and I were working in Scotland. He writes:

"Re Psalm 23, were you in the same place as I was when I heard an ex-Scottish crofter expanding and expounding on Psalm 23? Apart from his wonderful lilting accent, I can still remember choice anecdotes like:

"He' is myshepherd. I know his voice."
'Sheep are nervous; it's hard to get them to lie down. But a good shepherd can!'
'Sheep are timid; they hate getting water up their noses, so a good shepherd leads them to still water (no splashing!)'

There were many more, but I've forgotten."

This will be the last of our own personally written "Psalm 23". Ed.

He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.

Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.

Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

Gregory of Nazianzus, A.D. 381

Minister's Message

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11

As I consider St John's at the beginning of a New Year, once again I come back to this verse, which is a great comfort and reassurance. The people to whom the Lord originally spoke these words were bewildered, struggling to come to terms with the loss of their land and their temple, and with being taken into exile. They felt as if the Lord had abandoned them, and reneged on his promises that David's throne and kingdom would endure forever.

I sense that for some folk at least, there's a sense of bewilderment at St John's. So much has changed over the last couple of years, there are still people who are leaving us, some of our groups and activities have come to an end, and we find ourselves in a deep financial crisis. It can be difficult to see where God is in all this!

I am sorry to say that I do not have all the answers! But I do trust that the Lord does know the plans he has for us. I believe that we need to pray and work togetherto discover what those plans are. Most urgently, we need to pray and work togetherto resolve the financial crisis which is hanging over our heads.

So my message this month is a Call to Prayer. Please will each one of you pray for St John's, as often as you can– in your own daily prayers, in your groups, and of course, in our corporate worship. There is a prayer below, which you can use, if you find it helpful. Or you may prefer to put it into your own words. But please, pray along these lines, and keep on praying and trusting the Lord, whose plans are not to harm us, but to prosper us, and give us hope and a future.

Heavenly Father,
thank you for St John's Church;
thank you for all the blessings you pour out,
through our worship, through our fellowship,
through the love we each give and receive;

thank you for your faithfulness to St John's,
thank you for all your faithful servants who have gone before us,
who have given so generously of their time, talents and treasure

to build up your people, and support the mission of your church in this place;
and thank you for the plans you have for the future of this church.

Lord, we ask for your forgiveness
for those times when we have failed to love you
with all our heart, soul, mind and strength,
when we have failed to love one another as we love ourselves,
when we have squandered the fruits of other people's sacrifice,
when we have forgotten that the church exists
for the benefit of its non-members.

Lord, please look on St John's with mercy,
grant us perfect unity in mind and thought,
open our eyes to see the wonderful plans you have for us,
give us grace to worship you in spirit and in truth,
and grant us wisdom and generosity
to use our time, talents and treasure together in your service.

We ask all these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Sarah

Angels

At 17 I had passed my driving test and I was the proud owner of a blue Morris Marina two door hatchback. Just three days after buying the car from my grandfather I picked up three friends and drove the car to a local firework display. It was November the 5^th.

On the way home from the firework party not far from the place where the fireworks took place I had to drive across a bridge. It was after I had crossed a bridge over the River Ouse that disaster struck. I lost control of the car and it came off the road and rammed straight into a lamp post and its stay. The car caught fire and my door, the driver's door, could not be opened. Notwithstanding the fire or the fact that one of the doors had jammed shut, I felt no fear and my friends and I all got out of the car very calmly, without a scratch, by using the one and only passenger door. I even went back over the bridge to the place where the firework party was held and asked for assistance. The car by this time was well and truly on fire as was the lamp post.

Throughout the whole trauma of the crash and getting out of the vehicle I felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. I felt a 'Presence' the like of which I had not experienced previously. I am sure that my guardianangel helped me and my friends to get out of thecar and to safety. The car was a write off and the lamp post was badly burned. To this day I can remember very clearly the feeling of absolute calm.

The second occasion on which I strongly feel the intervention of an angel was when my thirteen months old nephew was taken into hospital on Christmas Eve with a virus which caused severe heart damage. It was touch and go for a long time as to whether he would survive. My nephew was sedated, and there was a lot of talk about heart transplants. My parents asked their church to pray for my nephew, which they did. Shortly after this a doctor visiting from Great Ormond Street [Children's] Hospital appeared on the ward. The doctor removed my nephew from the local hospital and took him to this fantastic children's hospital and commenced a new treatment which not only saved my nephew's life but also put him on the road to complete recovery. I strongly believe that God heard our prayers. I also believe that doctor was either sent directly by God or he was my nephew's guardian angel.

Wendy Marles

True Love

[My husband's friends from when he was at Bible College, Mr. & Mrs. E., sent us their end-of the year-letter on 1^stDecember. I was so moved by its contents that I asked for permission to use what Mr. E. had written. On 2^ndDecember I received Mr. E's reply in which he allowed me to quote whatever I wished from his end-of-the year letter. Editor]

'Apart from the tricks our forgetteries play on us, we are both keeping well for our years and have enjoyed another year deepening our experience of the grace of God.

Jerry Bridges in his book, "The Disciplines of Grace" expresses it well: "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the

need of God's grace". That fleshes out the Lord's promise: "… My grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness" [2 Cor. 12:9]

[My wife's] Alzheimer's progresses, and she finds it difficult now to store any information and often has difficulty understanding where things are at and where we are living . . . but I will say no more except that it is true the Lord gives his grace, and I certainly need it in bucket loads. Life takes on a very different pattern as the illness progresses, and I need sensitivity and patience.

I am grateful to a friend at church who drew my attention to an article about Robertson McQuilkin. Evidently after twenty-two years as President at Columbia International University in the USA, McQuilkin made the decision to resign his position as President.

His wife, Muriel, had Alzheimer's. Some of the University Board members questioned the wisdom and appropriateness of his resigning to care for her. By way of an answer to them he wrote:

"Twenty-two years is a long time, but then again, it can be shorter than one anticipates. How do you say goodbye to friends you don't wish to leave? The decision to come to Columbia was the most difficult I had to make. The decision to leave twenty-two years later, though painful, was one of the easiest. It was almost as if God engineered the circumstances so that I had no alternatives. Let me explain!

"My dear wife, Muriel, has been in failing mental health for about twelve years. So far I have been able to carry both her ever growing needs and my leadership responsibility at Columbia. But recently it has become apparent that Muriel is contented most of the time when she is with me, and almost none of the time when I am away from her. It is not just discontent, she is filled with fear, even terror that she has lost me, and always goes in search of me when I leave home. So it is clear to me that she needs me now, full time. Perhaps it will help you understand if I share with you what I shared in Chapel at the time of the announcement of my resignation.

"The decision was made in a way forty-two years ago when I promised Muriel to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, till death us do part. But there is more. She has cared for me fully and sacrificially for all these years. If I care for her for the next forty years, I would not be out of her debt. Duty, however, can be grim and stoic. There is more - I love Muriel. She is a delight to me. I don't have to care for her - I get to. It is a high honour to care for so wonderful a person."[You can read the full story as well as the resignation speech on several websites, including this one: http://roddyclack.com/sacrificiallove.html]

Mr. E., continues in his email of 2^ndDecember: "Well, this expresses so much of where things are at for the pair of us here… and it is expressed so eloquently. Yet I am sure there will have been a great deal of quiet heart pain behind those brave words of his. How can it ever be otherwise?

So life and ministry now take a very different dimension – one, which some looking on from the outside, may not be able to fully understand unless they have experienced the dynamics involved. A different kind of ministry, but one in which we are just as called to serve and be faithful."

Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible. Miguel de Unamuno

Mothers' Union Bye Buy Childhood Campaign

For many years the Mothers' Union (M.U.) has been concerned about the commercial pressure and marketing aimed at children, who are growing up believing that they are what they own. Children should be valued as children and not targeted as adult consumers.

However, childhood has become a marketing opportunity worth £99 billion in the UK and £350 million is spent each year on persuading children to consume. The use of sexualised content to sell to children and the imposition of sexuality on children to market goods is particularly abhorrent.

The MU undertook research and opinion polling and published a report titled "Bye Buy Childhood" and presented a petition to Downing Street and activated much interest from MPs, and the media.

As a result the Government asked Reg Bailey, the MU Chief Executive, to carry out an independent review as the first step in fulfilling the Government's commitment to take action to protect children from these issues.

Reg hoped that the Prime Minister would contact him within 18 months, but Mr Cameron said he wanted reports every three months.

Reg's report covered 14 issues and the Government has accepted them all.

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a number of complaints about sexualised advertising; such as "Lynx" shower gel and their advergames featuring Lucy Pinder and Cody UK LTD (trading as Marc Jacobs) featuring Dakota Fanning advertising "Oh, Lola" perfume.

The "big four" Internet service providers (ISPs), BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin Media, have now produced their "Code of Practice on Parental Controls". The Code has three main objectives:

To improve awareness of parental controls;

To improve the effectiveness of information and education initiatives;

To review options offered by future technology.

In January [2012] the Government is due to launch a consultation on the age rating of MUSIC VIDEOS. The issue has also been raised in France, where the Supreme Audiovisual Council has ruled that RIHANNA's "We found love" music is too explicit to show on daytime television. .

This is just one more example of how the Mothers’ Union can influence Government Policy.

Marion Watts and Gerald Griffiths (Diocesan Social Policy Team).

Pressed for Time

Is it really 2012? Is it me or does time seem to fly by faster with each passing year?

New Year is often seen as an opportunity to reflect upon life in very general terms. Marking a common point of reference for the closure of the old and the opening of the new, we get to take stock, take the pulse of our lives, and assess what we have achieved or not achieved. This self-analysis can take the form of measuring happiness, or wealth, or relationships, or career etc. Although there is no doubt that it can be a helpful exercise to pause and review life, it is worth remembering that it can also sustain an unhealthy preoccupation with the problem of 'progress'. For most people in the West, progress is assumed as being natural and inevitable. As the idea that today is better than yesterday just because it's today, it derives from the idea that human nature is essentially good and even perfectible – despite what every history book tells us to the contrary.

As a pale copy, a counterfeit of the teleology [purposes or design] of the Kingdom of God, it could be said that this idea of human progress points to a deeper, more fundamental problem that we all have with regard to time itself. Namely, that we are all conscious to varying degrees that it is slipping away from us, and that there is nothing that we can do about it.

Perhaps most significantly, we fail to see time as a consequence of sin. We forget that, prior to Adam and Eve falling, time was infinite. The Book of Genesis recounts seasons as cycles, but they are without an end. Our failure to remember this obvious truth has profound implications for our relationships with God and with each other.

Most notably, despite that fact that we all have the same hours in a day, we feel increasingly pressed for time. Seldom attributed to our human condition, this underlying anxiety is a powerful driver for all human behaviour. We may well be wired for the infinite, but we have become so accustomed to the finite that we assume it as the norm.

The writer of Ecclesiastes observes that there is a time for everything, and also that God has placed eternity in the hearts of all (Ecclesiastes 3). Outside of Christ, this apparent mismatch between the reality of the passing years and a God-given inner desire for infinity can present us with deep anxieties. Giving us a felt need to cram our lives with activity and achievement – and to leave a legacy, it fuels ambition and disturbs the peace.

Today, it seems that many of us are now so thoroughly disconnected from eternity, that we struggle to Imagine an alternative to our three score years and ten. Once, while selling one house and buying another, I found myself without a mortgage for about six weeks. I was disturbed by how unburdened and liberated I felt. Time operates in a similar subconscious way. Paul's prescription is clear: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4: 18)

For the Christian, time is so yesterday – it's so last year. We are promised, in the renewal of all things, not only a restoration of our place in the infinite but also a foretaste of it now. The Kingdom of Jesus is a non-time reality that has a real-time effect. When and where this Kingdom breaks in, there is a taste of eternity. Our role is to preview this new life in words and deeds – unhurried, with the light of eternity switched on.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 2: 1-3)

Time is not against us; it's on our side – so Happy New Year!

Dave Landrum, director of advocacy, Evangelical Alliance

A Wake-Up Call

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart broke, and I heard my own voice crying out, "Oh, God, no! So many people dying! Right now! God, help them!" As I sat transfixed, with my eyes glued to the television screen, I knew people at that moment were stepping into eternity, and I wondered how many people went to work that morning, parked their cars, rode up the elevators, unlocked their office doors, booted up their computers, poured a cup of coffee, and reached for the telephone…then, in the blink of an eye, found themselves in eternity, standing before God!!

My next thought was "How many of these people stepping into eternity right now are not ready to meet God?"

Then the wake-up call came: Anne, how many of those people are stepping into eternity unprepared to meet God because people like you have been so politically perfect that no one has ever told them…

that God loves them,

that He wants them to live with Him forever in His heavenly home,

that He has given His own Son, Jesus, to be their Savior,

that through faith in Him they could have… a right relationship with God, peace in their hearts, and the confident hope of eternal life?

Anne Graham Lotz on p.43 of her book, EXPECTING TO SEE JESUS.

A Wake-up Call for God's People. Published by Zondervan in 2011.