Christ Church Moreton Hall

I write this letter in December, for it to be read in January.  This is always difficult because what concerns us in one month can be old news, or completely forgotten, by the next.  However, this is excusable for this newsletter because in December and January we both look back over the last year and look forward to the next.

Will 2011 be the year that Mr. Cameron either wrecked Europe and the world economy, or the year that he saved Britain, its banking and its oil interests, and ensured the survival of our country in hard economic times?  Only time will tell.  Will 2012 be the year we remember the Queen’s Jubilee, the Olympics and the Paralympics, or will it be remembered for something else?

  I would like to take this opportunity of wishing everybody on the Moreton Hall estate a very merry Christmas and a happy and, if at all possible, prosperous New Year.  However, this time of looking forward to 2012 is tinged with fear and anxiety.  Yes, we are all looking forward to the Queen’s diamond jubilee which will be a wonderful occasion in June.  Yes, we are looking forward to the Olympics in July and the Para-Olympics in August.  Of course, especially for Christ Church, we will be welcoming the ordination of David Carpenter in July. 

On the other hand, we know that in 2012 unless many countries make dramatic cuts in their expenditure, including our own, then the whole world economy could slip into a bottomless recession the like of which we have not seen since the dark days of the 1920s.   

 Here we are in the middle of November already counting the days to Christmas.  For many this year Christmas will not be quite as joyous as they had hoped.  For some the prospect of unemployment, as well as rising heating prices, means there is a chill in more ways than one to our celebrations this year.   Our hearts go out to the bereaved, but this year we particularly remember those who have lost loved ones in car crashes just before the Christmas period.  It is a very hard thing to face at this time, and while there is rejoicing at the change of regime in Libya we also know that the price of freedom in places like Afghanistan and Iraq have been paid with the lives of beloved service people from this country. We will remember them on the 13th November this year One of the reasons why I am a Christian is because I am utterly convinced that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  For me, this means that death is not the end and there is hope for a better life beyond the grave for all those who put their trust in Him.   This year churches across the nation are putting together a special campaign entitled “Christmas begins with Christ”.  It is to remind us that at Christmastime we remember that Christ came into the world to give us hope; hope for a better family life as we share things together, but above all eternal hope for life beyond the grave.  I do hope you will support this campaign by coming to one of the many services we will be offering but also whenever you see a poster or see the phrase “Christmas begins with Christ” you will remember what it is really supposed to be about.   First of all, following on from our Shoebox Sunday which sent out almost a hundred shoeboxes filled with gifts to children in third world and eastern European countries so they could have a proper Christmas, we will be having a Christingle Service on Sunday 4^th December at 10.30 a.m.  Christingle is a great occasion because not only does every child receive an orange and a candle, but the money raised goes to help those children in this country who have no homes.   We would also like to welcome you to our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols on 18th December     when, again in combination with churches across the country, we are going to attempt to break the world record for carol singing.  Although our service starts at 6.30 p.m., from 7.00 p.m. hundreds of thousands of churches will be singing various carols together for a fifteen minute period.  We will then take a count of the numbers who attend the service and this will be sent on to a national organisation who will claim the world record.  Why not be part of this unique and special occasion? On Christmas Eve we will be having our full set of Christmas celebrations but this year we will have two Crib Services one at 2:30pm and a second a 4:00pm as it is so popular. There will be tea coffee and cake served after each one.  

For us Christ is more than just a hope.  He can be a living reality in our lives.  Put your trust in Him and you will find Him to be the closest and best friend you could ever have.  He also wants us to look out for others.  As the paths freeze over and the winter winds get colder, please be on the look-out for your elderly friends, relatives and neighbours.  Even if you do not know them, why not take an opportunity this year to speak to them or even call on them to find out if they are o.k.  Also this is a very good time to help the elderly over the road and carry their shopping for them as the paths can be so slippery. 

 Friendship 

We all live very hectic and busy lives, and we are worried about the economic downturn and the possible collapse the banks.  Everybody is feeling very stressed and worried at this time.  This worry is expressed in short tempers, gloom  and a sense of low well-being. 

One of the best antidotes to this is friendship.  Friendships, often go by the board in times of difficulty and the rat-race in which we now live.  We have to do so much work, we have to do so much with our families, we have to do so much with other people, that often those deep friendships which we have had maybe since childhood, are put to one side.   

 August has been dominated by pictures of the riots which many of us have seen and momentous changes in the Middle East as regime after regime has toppled.  But here on Moreton Hall we are probably more concerned about getting everybody ready to go back to school.  There is the annual round of buying school uniforms, shoes, bags and equipment and with it both the joy of seeing our children grow and the sadness of knowing that one day they will leave us.   

Also, for those who cannot have children, or whose children have left home and have not maintained any sort of contact, the sadness is somewhat greater. Then here is the larger worry that even when relationships with our children are good, what sort of world are we sending them into? As much of the inner city, violence is due to peer pressure.  People who would not otherwise commit crimes, let alone burn down other people’s houses, get caught up in the maelstrom of other people’s criminality.  Perhaps the answer lies in our own hands.  Back to school is not just something for our youngsters.  It’s back to school for all of us.