More about Halloween....

Wednesday 31st October 2012: Fun Night 6-8pm. On Halloween evening we will have an open church with various activities (face painting, crafts etc) for any children wandering past, including refreshments for the parents. However, other Christians argue that Halloween is a rare time of year when you actually get to meet your neighbours -taking the kids trick or treating, or opening your door to neighbour's children- and that Christians should use it as a "meet and greet" opportunity instead of remaining aloof from this community activity. They point out we will not be bolstering the kingdom of Satan by joining in, and we have nothing to be afraid of with Jesus on our side! Considering All Hallows Even and Day, although Anglican and Catholic churches still follow the "church calendar" that was developed in the six hundred years following the death and resurrection of Jesus, many non-denominational churches, such as Richmond Park Church, don't follow all the old church traditions, preferring to try and be more like the church as described in the New Testament. We believe in the Biblical definition of a "saint", that all Christians are saints, not because of anything great we've done, but because we have Jesus living in us. We don't believe that the church has the authority to declare some people saints, and therefore we don't celebrate "saints days". However, some Christians use the Biblical definition of all Christians being saints, and then choose to celebrate All Saints Day to remember the example and strengths of past Christians and thank the Lord for the work done through them. And another more generous interpretation of the traditional church's actions is that they were trying to proclaim the supremacy of the gospel over the superstitions of ghosts, but even if this is true, their attempts to "Christianise" Halloween failed because All Hallows Day and All Hallows Even continued the theme of focusing on the dead (not the risen Jesus) and it was easy for people who didn't want to give up the perceived mystery and excitement of Samhain to merge the old and the new, which the church encouraged by keeping the dressing up and parades. What all this means is that Richmond Park Church has never regarded Halloween, even in the guise of All Hallows Even and All Saints Day, to be a real Christian festival. However, as Halloween is a popular excuse for many to party, and we ourselves enjoy a good party, we see it as a great time to give children and families an opportunity to celebrate Jesus the light of the world rather than celebrate the darkness that the popularist Halloween represents. Wednesday 31st October 2012: Fun Night 6-8pm. On Halloween evening we will have an open church with various activities (face painting, crafts etc) for any children wandering past, including refreshments for the parents.

What do Christians today think of Halloween? Part 1

Hmmm...there are mixed views! Most non-Christians and some Christians view Halloween as "a harmless bit of fun". However, Halloween's pagan Celtic origins revolve round placating, and trying to hide from, the roaming dead and evil spirits - in other words, Halloween is about FEAR, over-emphasising evil and telling people they have to save themselves by dressing up in disguise and offering gifts. There is NOTHING in Halloween of the peace and love of God, or the saving power of Jesus, or the fact that Jesus has conquered death and sin. The Bible says "fear not" 366 times! God doesn't want us to be scared or afraid. You can see from the history where the practise of "trick or treating" comes from -leave out a treat or risk having a trick played on you by those from the other world- but we don't think it is nice to threaten people with pranks unless they hand over sweets. It can be very intimidating, and is definitely not something Jesus would do! It's the same with dressing up as ghosts and witches, and carving pumpkins -it was part of Samhain and it's focusing on fear and can be intimidating.

What About Halloween, part 2

Meanwhile, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in 30AD, the "new" controversial religion, Christianity, spread to Asia Minor, Greece and to Rome, and so through the Roman Empire, largely as a result of persecuted Christians having to flee Jerusalem. As Christians were killed for preaching about Jesus and standing up for their beliefs, those surviving chose to commemorate the death of these martyrs or saints by celebrating "martyrs days" or "saints days". These were usually local festivals, though the martyrdom of some of the apostles were more widely celebrated. Pope Gregory III (731-741AD) decided to have one day a year in the church calendar to celebrate all the martyrs or saints, instead of lots of different regional saint's days, and this was set as the 1st of November, and known as the "Feast of All Saints" or "All Saint's Day" or "All Hallows Day" ("hallow" is an old English word for saint or holy person). The date was chosen on purpose to rival Samhain and involved similar traditions, including dressing up as a saint, an angel or a devil and joining a parade, with the aim of weaning people off of the pagan festival. By the 9th century, Samhain traditions were still going strong, so the church tried to take-over the evening of the 31st of October itself by making it another feast day, "All Hallows Even" (evening) and this and Samhain (remember, it's pronounced something like "sow-een") merged to become "Halloween". Because of it's Celtic history it is only popular in the UK, and the USA and Canada, taken there by the Irish who emigrated to America in their tens of thousands after the 1845 potato famine. So now you know!

What About Halloween?

Halloween was originally called "Samhain" -a Gaelic word pronounced "sow-in" (in Ireland), or "sow-een" (in Wales), or "sav-en" (in Scotland) - meaning "summer's end." The Celtic culture had established itself throughout the British Isles from approx. 600 BC to 50 AD, and Samhain was an ancient Celtic type of harvest festival, marking the beginning of winter and the first day of the Celtic new year, celebrated on the evening of the 31st of October. The Druids (Celtic priests) also believed that on this day (exactly between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice) the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken, allowing demons, witches and lost souls to harass the living and play tricks on them. People tried to protect themselves from attack by disguising themselves as witches, devils and ghosts, and carved grotesque faces in things like pumpkins, which they kept illuminated by candlelight, to ward off evil spirits. They also left out treats, like cakes, as a peace offering. When the Romans came to Britain (successfully in 43AD after failed attempts in 55BC and 54BC) they added the traditions of their own harvest festival, "Pomona", to Samhain, such as bobbing for apples in water barrels and putting nuts in the fire to watch where they jump to.

Pastor’s Corner “Daddy, don't forget; ‘Jesus first, others second and yourself last’”, exclaims Rachel in an exasperated tone. That’s me being ‘encouraged’ to be more like Jesus by my 10 year daughter! We have adopted that little phrase as our family motto. It is reflected all over scripture. We have many calls to: love God, each other and even our enemies, at the same time we are called to die to self and take up our cross and follow him. We know of a young lad, 5 or 6, (no-one from down here), who has become well known for saying; ‘what about me?’. I can see him and hear him saying it now. It is almost comical with its consistency and predictability. He is only a child and like many at that age cannot see beyond himself. However, the tragedy is that this attitude pervades in our society at large. People do not see beyond themselves. Selfishness seems to reign, where the individuals needs, wants and desires come squarely first and everyone else's does not even get a look in. The only questions are; how does this affect me? Or how does this make me feel? I appreciate this is a generalisation, and I know there are exceptions. The challenge for us as a church and individuals is to be different. To be like Jesus; living that sacrificial life and seeking the blessing and good of others. Jesus left the glory and splendor of heaven, along with the worship and adoration of angels to be born in a sin stricken world. Where he was ultimately rejected and crucified. He did this as an act of obedience to the father so that you and I could have life, forgiveness and an eternity in heaven. Totally selfless! ‘Jesus first, others second and yourself last,’ perhaps sounds a little gimmicky to some. Perhaps that’s what you thought when you first read it, but we cannot escape the fact that it reflects scriptural principles and is patterned in Jesus’ incarnation, life and death. We need to follow in his footsteps. It is important that our speech and actions are determined and influenced by our desire to honour God and bless those around us. Please take the time and read some of the scripture references below and allow God’s word to encourage and challenge you. Matt 22:36-40, 1 Cor 10:24, Eph 4:29, Phil 2:3-4, Heb 13.16,1 Pet 4:10, Jn 15:9-17. richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

What's happening in June 2012

What’s Happening This Month Care Group - Tuesday 5th June (Bank Holiday), 6pm at Martin & Joy’s, bring and share food, prayer and fellowship. Picnic at Moors Valley for the children - Friday 8th June (in half term) - children must be accompanied by parent/carer. Meet at the main visitor centre at 10am. Please bring your own picnic. There is no entrance fee but parking charges apply. Speak to Joy for more information. Hope FM’s 5th Birthday celebration - Sat 9th June - 12 to 4 at Bandstand in Bournemouth Gardens, with live music and a bouncy castle. Bring a picnic. Safeguarding Training for new children’s workers—Saturdays 16th & 23rd June, 2.45pm to 6.15pm. Don’t forget to bring your Safeguarding information pack (the black ring-binder)! Fortnightly prayer breakfasts– 9th & 23rd June, at 8.30am, followed by a light breakfast. As you know we are at a very exciting time in the life of our church; we are currently seeking the Lord as to where he wants us geographically, but also expectant regards to the future generally. Burley Christian Festival - Sunday 24th June, 2-4pm at Manor Park (also known as Dan Tanners field) Burley. Hope FM, Keith Jones books, refreshment stalls and many others will be there. As we are already having a prayer breakfast Saturday we will cancel the evening so folk don't need to rush back. Reach out to internationals in the U.K. or overseas! International Training Network is running a one-week Introductory course in TESOL in Bournemouth from June 25th – 29th.  Please speak to Irwin for more details richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Parent & Toddler Group

We warmly invite you to our Parent & Toddler morning, "Step By Step", Tuesdays term time from 9.30 to 11.30am.This is a great time to come together in a secure, relaxed and informal atmosphere where parents and carers can unwind as their children enjoy playing with toys, creating different things, sliding down the slide, singing and learning to relate to one another at a young age. We are aware that during our get-togethers lasting relationships have been formed among the parents and the children are often asking them when the next "toy time at that church" is! richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

What's Easter About?

Easter is the spring-time holiday associated with chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits. For Christians it is also the anniversary and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.
Easter gets it's name from the Saxon goddess of spring called "Eostre". This goddess had a hare's head, or a hare companion, which makes sense when you remember that pagan worship centred on nature and fertility, and hares and rabbits breed like....well, rabbits!


This is also the origin of the Easter Bunny, and strangely, Easter Eggs (what? no chickens?!) - all life was thought to have originally come from an egg, and eggs were another favoured symbol of fertility. The "spirit" Easter Bunny/Hare was supposed to lay its eggs in the grass, and people would go searching for them - the fore-runner of modern day Easter egg hunts.



richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Our Safeguarding Policy

Standard 6 - Organisations should ensure that workers know how to talk with, listen and relate to children with whom they come in contact.
Standard 7 - Workers must develop awareness of the issues surrounding abuse, be able to recognise possible signs and symptoms and respond appropriately.
Standard 8 - Organisations should ensure pastoral care and support is available to all those affected by abuse.
Standard 9 - Organisations must supervise and manage those who pose a risk to children.
Standard 10 - Organisations working in specialised areas, culturally diverse settings or through partner organisations or agencies must ensure appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures are in place.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service, which Richmond Park Church is a member of, has Ten Standards that all of its members must adhere to:

Standard 1 - Organisations should adopt a formal, working safeguarding policy.
Standard 2 - Organisations must develop safeguarding awareness and provide training.
Standard 3 - Organisations should adopt a formal recruitment policy for both paid and voluntary workers.
Standard 4 - Workers, paid and voluntary, should be appropriately managed, supervised and supported.
Standard 5 - Organisations must ensure they adopt safe working practice.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

January greeting

I personally must have read verse 12 hundreds of times over the years but even as I type I have been once again struck by those words “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
Have you got it? You and I have been “taken hold of” by Jesus Christ!! Amazing truth for the “born again” believer…. Wow and double Wow!!

One personal reflection about “pressing on”. Way back in my youth when running in Cross Country races and I might add, occasionally since, when running to catch the bus!!! I developed stitch and quite often wanted to stop and give up but discovered that the best course of action was, in the words of a 70’s pop song, to “keep on running” and thus press on towards the winning post or bus stop!

So, if during 2012 you or I are tempted to give up, let’s make sure we “press on” in the clear understanding that the Lord is with us.

Have a good year………

Dave

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

New Year's Message from Dave

The first month of a new year always presents an opportunity to take stock and to seek to align ourselves to the purposes of God both individually and corporately, so consequently as we search our hearts there are doubtless a number of things that the Holy Spirit prompts us with……the major question is, and always will be,
are we open to allowing the Lord to lead and direct us in the year ahead?

My prayer would be, that the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!!” and the Bible text that comes to mind is Philippians 3 verse 12 “ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” ( I suggest you continue reading verses 13 and 14 as well.)

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK