Newsletter April 2020
Dear Friends,
This newsletter comes to you at a strange time for all of us. The Secretariat offers you this Prayer for Health.
Father God, so often we take our good health, either physical or mental, for granted. We forget that so many suffer daily with ill health, which causes so much pain and suffering – not only to themselves but also the loved ones who care for them.
At times of ill health, we can sometimes feel just as Jesus did on the cross, abandoned by you. We too can cry out as Jesus did: ‘Why have you abandoned me?’, especially in the dark hours of the night.
But, Father God, no matter how bleak and abandoned we may feel, you raise us up with small gifts of light: such as words of encouragement from a kind friend or a soothing hand from a loving parent.
Help us all, Father God, as we journey through this life, in times of good or ill health, to hear your voice calling us. You softly whisper calming words of love and grace for each day, especially when our fears, anxieties, physical pain and helplessness overcome us.
You are our guide, our strength and you also provide the peace that passes all understanding. Help us to lean in closely to that peace whether we are sick, well or caring for the sick.
Grant us the compassion to be a healing hand to all those we meet, especially in this time of intensified global fear. Being kind to one another is the greatest healing anyone can bestow.
In Jesus name we ask.
Amen
This newsletter includes messages from:
• Our Spiritual Director
• Our Lay Director
• A participant at Oxford #19
• Our Treasurer and our BACC rep
• Our Secretary
Our Spiritual Director writes:
The Coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown has certainly blessed us all with the gift of time - to think and to pray, to read perhaps, and to get started on all those little jobs around the house which have been demanding our attention, but which until now we have chosen to ignore. For one thing, it has reminded me of the need to re-examine my Rule of Life, and to find a new rhythm to the day. A priest colleague has found that a scrambled egg for breakfast on a Saturday, a change of pyjamas on a Wednesday and early tea on a Sunday works best for him. Perhaps some us have rediscovered that ‘Life is Better in Pyjamas’ anyway! Although for the time being we cannot meet in Groups, nevertheless I believe it important to keep our discipline of ‘Prayer, Study and Action’ going.
And where better to start than prayer? It allows us to recalibrate, by asking ‘who am I?’, and who is God for me now, in this situation, and in this place? With our church buildings closed, and unable to meet together for worship, we strive to find new meaning in ‘church’. I suggest that begins by our listening more attentively to God - so that we can hear Him speaking, and not just us hearing what we think we want to hear! Self-isolating can bring many challenges; not least it demands that we ‘live with ourselves’ and accept truths which simply ‘lack of time’ helped us to evade. When we are comfortable with ourselves it is because we are comfortable with God, and therefore are compelled to serve others with compassion. In prayer, we carry others in our hearts before God - and are moved to put love into action.
Much has been said about the rediscovery of compassion and reaching out to our own community in a practical way. As we approach Easter, we can rejoice that nothing can separate us from the Love of God - ultimately, not even death. We are called to show that Love in Action.
We are not people of fear:
we are people of courage.
We are not people who protect our own safety:
we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety.
We are not people of greed:
we are people of generosity.
We are your people God,
giving and loving,
wherever we are,
whatever it costs
For as long as it takes
wherever you call us.
[Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference]
With Every Blessing for a Joyous Easter,
Ultreya!
Rev Alastair Davies
Spiritual Director
From our Lay Director
During the first weekend in March I was the Observing Lay Rector (OLR) for Oxford #19 held at Cold Ash. This was in preparation for my being the Lay Rector for Oxford #20 which we hope will be held about the end of April 2021. A team will need to be formed once the date in confirmed and I would like to hear from any Bristol Cursillistas who would like to be on team. It offers a good opportunity to create closer links with other Cursillo Diocese in the South West. We each have our strengths and by working together we grow stronger still.
The purpose of the Cursillo weekend is for those attending (and from my experience that applies to the team as much as the guests) to
· Encounter God, grow closer to Christ and receive afresh the power of the Holy Spirit
· Understand themselves better
· Learn more about their role in Christian community
· Become more effective as witnesses for Christ
I would like to ask you all to pray for guidance on who you could encourage to attend the next Cursillo weekend as a guest. Do invite them to attend your group reunions (even the current virtual meetings) with you so that they can become familiar with the Cursillo method prior to signing up for the weekend. If you or they have any questions on this please do contact me (details at the end of this newsletter).
At the last area meeting held on 25th January we set the date for the next meeting – Saturday 11th July to be held in St Giles Church Stanton St Quintin. It was hoped to include a training session on listening skills particularly useful for table leaders serving on weekends but useful for all people. Due to the current Coronavirus lockdown I have not continued with this plan but if we are permitted to meet together in July it would seem appropriate to replace this with a celebratory Ultreya.
As you have read, Alastair encourages us to continue with our discipline of prayer, study and action and we should also continue to meet together. As we have found different ways of ‘doing church’ we are also finding different ways of meeting together. The majority of the Secretariat held a meeting using ‘Houseparty’ which was successful. It was a joy to meet and pray together using this medium. My reunion group are using Skype this week to hold our regular monthly meeting so that we can continue to support and encourage each other. Perhaps this is the time when we can grow new reunion groups including those who currently do not live close enough to other Cursillistas to meet physically.
A friend recently sent me a link to a free ebook ‘For Such a Time as This’ which is an excellent resource of prayers related to the Coronavirus crisis. I find it helpful for those times when words are failing me. The link to this resource is:
In my quiet times a hymn that we often sing at Cursillo events keeps coming into my head. The words seem appropriate at this time.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
I pray for the time when the pandemic is over and we can physically meet together again. In the meantime do try new ways of connecting with each other and do continue to praise and give thanks to God.
Angela Smith
Lay Director
From a participant in the weekend at Cold Ash
The weekend at Cold Ash was greatly blessed with good food, comfortable rooms and a generous team who had obviously put in much preparation time to offer so much so freely. Participants and team were all on a journey, individually and together and the balance of talks, discussion, activities, worship, prayer, storytelling as well as space to absorb the setting were finely but perfectly balanced. The candlelit service with anointing was a particularly special time giving space to listen to the Lord. One message that came through for me in many different guises was from Isaiah 40 'Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; As I wait in this strange time with our church buildings closed and my house in Wiltshire on the market, I continue to pray the Lord will reveal the next stage of my journey to be involved in the joy of growing God's Kingdom in union with fellow members of the Cursillo movement.
Rev Evelyn Bone
Our BACC Rep and our Treasurer report from Dursley
We are living in strange times which either bring out the bad or the good in people. Living in Dursley and being over seventy I have been impressed by the organisation of the various agencies providing support of any kind in our area.
Churches together are very involved coming together providing both spiritual and practical help, carrying out what Jesus intended us to do. Love one another as I have loved you. Feeling blessed
Hazel and Chris Tomkins
BACC Rep and Treasurer
From our Secretary
We have had to change the ways we interact with people. I am part of a team in the village who have offered to help people with shopping, prescription collection and anything else. I also volunteer at the Malmesbury Foodbank which has had to change the way it operates. Volunteers attend on their own at the Foodbank to weigh goods in and prepare bags of food for various sizes of foodbank beneficiary family groups which are then delivered by a different group of volunteers later in the day. I take my husband in to help me on my morning stint which wears him out!
Meanwhile we are lucky that our Curate in Charge broadcasts morning and night prayer over Facebook every day which brings us great comfort. I am so grateful for social media and all the electronic links that we have while remembering those who only have the telephone and keeping in touch with them.
It was a blessing to be able to meet as the Cursillo Secretariat via House party and see everyone’s smiling face. Angela has suggested we use this sort of link to enable us to continue our group reunions and I certainly think it worth a go!
Hilary Greene
Secretary and Communications Officer
BACC Spiritual Director
Read Rev Stephen Bowring’s thoughts on our present crisis https://www.anglicancursillo.co.uk/
We wish you all a blessed and joyous Easter
Contact details:–
Hilary Greene, Secretary and Communications Officer
3 Rectory Close
Stanton St Quintin
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 6DT
01666 837850
Angela Smith, Lay Director
2 Stantone
Malmesbury Road,
Lower Stanton St Quintin
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 6BS
01666 837478
