The Service was going well, it was worship together for the whole church community so people of all ages were taking part.  After a while a person walked slowly to the front and asked if he could say a word.  The leader spoke rather harshly - "if you're quick about it!" - and most of the congregation thought this was another planned item in the worship.  The person spoke briefly and unfurled a banner ..... before being escorted from the church.  It was the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury and most of the city's churches were visited by demonstrators that Sunday!

Interruptions can be a threat or an opportunity.  Our reaction may be to weave them into whatever else is happening, or it may have to be confrontational.  A quick thinking speaker can comment creatively on the sound a mobile phone that someone has forgotten to silence, while another person may just glare angrily at such an interruption.  A van driver can react with patience to the learner who turns cuts across the road and forces an emergency stop or the encounter can result in extreme road rage!

Henri Nouwen writes in "Beyond the Mirror" -

"It has been the interruptions to everyday life which have most revealed the divine mystery of which I am a part,"

"all these interruptions presented themselves as opportunities to go beyond the normal patterns of daily life and find deeper connections than the previous safety of my physical, emotional and spiritual well being."

It is interruptions that reveal our priorities, test our resources and stretch our faith.  So often our security is in things - money, people, in roles and relationships, physical comfort or in power over others.  But God not security is the purpose of our life's journey.

Etty Hillesum was a young Jewish woman who died in Auschwitz.  She called her diaries "An Interrupted Life".  Addressing this question of our security, she writes -

"there is really a deep well inside me, and in it, dwells God. Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well and God is buried beneath, then he must be dug out again."

Interruptions in our life provide an opportunity or the challenge that we need to rediscover God as our security.  They are moments when we realise that God is saying something new, taking something away, giving us something different.

With an estimated number of adherents that ranges between 1.5 billion and 2.1 billion, split into around 34,000 separate denominations, Christianity is the world's largest religion. The Christian share of the world's population has stood at around 33 per cent for the last hundred years. This masks a major shift in the demographics of Christianity; large increases in the developing world have been accompanied by substantial declines in the developed world, mainly Europe and North America.

"Living Fire" is the title of the Methodist Prayer handbook 2008-2009. It is arranged as a monthly cycle and offers the opportunity to pray with Christians from all around the world, from the countries of Africa to South America, the USA to India, Malaysia, Australia and back to Europe. Each day also focuses our prayers on areas of our own country, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The last day of the month invites us to pray with the World Council of Churches.

The handbook includes a daily lectionary with suggested Bible passages for personal devotions, together with a Psalm and a hymn to read (or sung!). It is a resource that is shared by Christians all around Britain and the world. For many, September is the start of a new Church year. To know that we belong to a worldwide church is a great encouragement and to realise that we are being prayed for, as well as being able to pray with others, stimulates our faith.

"The voice of prayer is never silent

nor dies the strain of praise away"

(HP 648)

The Methodist Church is one of the largest Christian churches serving Great Britain, with nearly 300,000 members and regular contact with over 800,000 people. It has about 5,800 churches totalling a worldwide membership of 70 million. It's activities, both alone and with ecumenical and secular partners, are based on four aims known as Our Calling:

• To increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love.
• To help people to grow and learn as Christians through mutual support and care.
• To be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice.
• To make more followers of Jesus Christ.

Whether our tradition is Methodist, United Reformed, or just Christian, this presents us with a real challenge for the new Church year. In our smaller Churches, where there are limited resources, we may have to focus on just one thing and aim to do it really well. In our larger communities there is more potential but again it is important that we don't overstretch ourselves so that we don't do anything well. Our thinking, decisions and actions need to be focused. To do this, both as Christian communities and as individual believers, we must thank God for the opportunities around us, the resources we have been given and pray for his guidance in the decisions we make. Above all, remember, that our loving God is beside us and goes with us into the future whatever that may bring.

Wherever you journey from here today,

Whoever you meet on the road of life,

Whatever your dreams and hope might bring,

Whenever you pause to catch your breath,

Remember you journey with a loving God,

In whose heart you will always remain.

And may the blessing of God be with us all.

Amen

Are you one of the 430k students going to University for the first time in September?

Perhaps you're going to Canterbury, either Kent University or Christchurch University.

Maybe you're a Christian, maybe not.

You will find lots of Christians here- from all the Christian Denominations- as well as people belonging to all the other world religions.

There are lots of Christian groups at the Universities, e.g. Christian Unions and house groups, CPAF (Christian Performing Arts Fellowship), Christian Focus, Prayer Services etc. You can find out more on each of their Websites.

Here at St. Peter's there is a social group called Ichthus which does various activities from church discussions to debates and talks, and there is also variety of social events such as bowling and meals out.

You will also find a warm welcome at the many Christian Churches in the City- Whether you choose the more traditional Churches or community Churches.

Here at St. Peter's Methodist Church you will find a mixed-aged community which comes together for worship and fellowship on Sundays at 10.30am.

Our main service on Sunday is at 10:30 am follows a fairly traditional style with a good mix of songs and styles of worship. This is followed by time together over coffee with plenty of chat and socialising.

Our Student Worker, Luke Underdown, is just completing his 3 year appointment with us and we shall miss his presence and friendship. But Elizabeth Little will be in post from September 1^st and will love to meet you and give you any support you need.

If you're wondering about anything to do with Canterbury and want to contact us then e-mail us.

Look forward to coming to Canterbury, it's a lovely city and its Christian Heritage will encourage your faith.

Contacts:

Minister:

Revd Philip Barker

minister@canterburymethodistchurch.co.uk

Student Worker:

Beth Little

Studentworker@canterburymethodistchurch.co.uk

Church Office:

01227 459449

It's worth going Christian Aid collecting because of the insights it gives into people's lives and the unexpected things that happen! At one house I visited this week, I was greeted by a family who had obviously recently come to live in this country. The children seemed to understand my English as I tried to explain that I was collecting for Christian Aid, which was helping families and others in need around the world. "Ok, yes," they said, "please wait a few moments." I waited for quite a while and heard, through the door, various comments in a language I couldn't understand as well as the thumping of the children's feet as they ran around the house.

Eventually the door opened again and the family stood there smiling. They handed over a large plastic bag and the children said "here you are." More smiles, as I staggered down the path under the weight of the bag and its contents. When I was out of sight I stopped and looked in the bag to find that it contained a number of toys and other bits and pieces which were obviously possessions of the children.

This whole incident left me thinking about how important it is that we respond to the needs of others, and also how easy it is for most of us simply to put our hands in our pockets and make a donation to Christian Aid or other good cause. It seems much more of a sacrifice to give treasured possessions!

Jesus told a story about how easy it is for well-to-do to give money and feel good about it. He contrasted them with a poor widow who put in all that she had and therefore made a real sacrifice. Its true that Christian Aid, and most charities, are looking for financial gifts and it wouldn't help their work if we were all to start donating our most treasured possessions, but these stories do say something about the importance of sacrifice in our Christian discipleship. We may smile or be surprised at what happened, but let us make sure that we don't overlook the challenge that can often be presented to us in the most unexpected ways.

We must take to heart Jesus comment on the story - "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury then all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on." (see St Mark Chapter 12 verses 41-44)

Philip J Barker