HOOK CHURCH NEWSLETTER
Sept 2022
Contents:
Those privileged good-for-nothing nobles - Paul
Answers to the Bible puzzle - July 2022
A quote from AW Tozer
Harvest Time 1-2-3 - an important message form CFL
Gossip or chat
Hook Church …our Church is part 1) - what we believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible
Introducing ..the Lee 3 - Sam, Beth and Ava
Spotlight on the Suffering Church - Algeria - Barbara
Note from the editor and Nov 2022 newsletter
1. Those privileged good-for-nothing nobles
It was the nobles who wouldn’t do it. They just wouldn’t join in. Everyone else did but not the nobles; oh, no, not the nobles; not them.
The priests joined in, even the high priest! So too the men of Jericho, the men of Tekoa and the men of Gibeon. You could see the goldsmiths, the perfume-makers and the Levites joining in. And then there was Meremoth, Zadok, Malkijah, and Baruch joining in along with their daughters plus many others.
But not the nobles! They wouldn’t put their shoulders to the work. Why not? Did they feel it was beneath them? Were they detached from the workers? Did they feel privileged and expect everyone else to the do the work but not them? Were they too busy with their social arrangements? Were they too important in their own eyes to do some hard graft? Was it beneath their dignity? They may turn up to watch, criticize and advise on ‘how you can do this better’, but not to join in.
Nevertheless the wall got built. The vast majority of God’s people worked hard to do God’s work. But not the nobles, oh, no, not the nobles.
May the Lord prevent us from being one of the nobles.
(For more see Nehemiah chapter 3)
Love from Paul
2. Answers to the Bible Puzzle in the July 2022 Newsletter.
AMoS MARK Luke JOHn JoEL Judges Job. Hebrews ESTHER Acts JAMES. RUTH ROMANS TITUS MATTHEW
GENESIS PHILEMON CHRONICLES DANIEL Nahum HOSEA: LAMENTATIONS REVELATION TIMOTHY/ SAMUEL
NUMBERS MALACHI PETeR ExODuS KINGS
This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an air plane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it onto some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on it while fishing from his John boat another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend ,was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people however will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them. At the worst research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle the Alpha Delta Phi Lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, the Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this was one of the most difficult they have ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it 2 books are right here in plain view hidden from sight" Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also keep in mind that punctuation and spaces in the middle of names are normal. A chipper attitude will help you to compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.
3. A quote from A W Tozer
'A real Christian...
feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen,
talk familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see,
expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another,
empties himself in order to be full,
admits he is wrong so he can be declared right,
goes down in order to get up,
is strongest when he is weakest,
richest when he is poorest
and happiest when he feels worst.
He dies so he can live,
forsakes in order to have,
gives away so he can keep,
sees the invisible,
hears the inaudible
and knows that which passes knowledge.'
submitted by a church member
4. HARVEST-TIME 1 2 3 - an important message from CFL
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen: 8. 24
5. Gossipbox or chatterbox
How can we tell the difference?
Proverbs says 👀 11. v13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
18.v8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.
Apostle Paul says 👀 Eph 4. v25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.
Col 4.v6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
T-H-I-N-K - pneumonic might be helpful.
T is it true?
H is it helpful?
I is it inspirational?
N is it necessary?
K is it kind?
Friendship is good for the soul
and a gift from God
6. HOOK CHURCH ………… OUR CHURCH IS………part 1
What we believe ….
About God
There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.
About Jesus
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God's punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.
About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.
About the Bible
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
We are a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and our Basis of Faith is the same as theirs. The churches of the FIEC are committed to these truths of historic, biblical Christianity.
7. Introducing……… The Lee Three!
Beth, Sam and Ava,
We met almost 10 years ago back at Capernwray Hall Bible School, up in Carnforth near Lancaster during the 2012/13 Winter Term, and we just celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary this year, which honestly I think Beth deserves a medal for putting up with me that long.
Our 2 became 3 during Lockdown when Beth had Ava who is almost 2 which is crazy to think about.
1.How many years have you been coming to Hook?
Beth – I’ve been coming to Hook for 25 years
Sam - I've been coming to Hook for around 9 years now.
2. What ministries are you involved with or have been over the years
Beth - I am involved in Kidszone, ID, mini church, crèche, teas and coffee and on the Global Vision Team.
Sam - I've been involved with the youth work, mainly at the 15-18 year old age group, until last year when both Discovery and Impact merged.
I helped out Benji and the ministry team during the pandemic making some backgrounds and helping to adjust the accompanying PowerPoints to make them screen ready.
I have also been involved with the cleaning team for the last couple of years.
3. Do you have a favourite hymn?
Beth - I don’t really have a favourite hymn as such but the 1st one that comes to mind when asked what my favourite hymn, I would say - ‘In Christ Alone.’
Sam - I have a couple of songs that I love, but ‘ Mighty to Save ‘ is one that comes to mind right now.
4. How do you enjoy free time?
Beth - Free time what is that with a 2 year old? When I do have a bit of free time, I like to get my nails done and have coffee with friends.
Sam - With my limited free time I like to spend it either playing Games or watching a good tv show, with a bit of reading and creativity thrown in when possible. More recently on Mondays Ava and I go to Chessington World of Adventures to see the animals for the morning, as a sort of Daddy Daughter Day, and sometimes when our schedules align we get to go as a family which is great fun!
5. Are there any things in life that you would like to do?
Beth - Recently I have qualified as an independent travel agent, something I’ve been thinking of doing for a while but never really done it. I would like this to one day become my permanent job, so I am able to be at home more and work alongside Ava as she grows up.
Sam - I tend to aim for the end of the day, and make the most of the time in between. I guess right my focus is trying to be the best example I can be to Ava (our almost 2 year old daughter) and trying to give her everything she needs to be a better human than me.
6. Are there any special moments or answers to prayer that you would like to share
Beth - I think looking back over the last few years, God has really been there for us as family, always provided and put things in place before we even knew we needed it.
Sam - The only one that comes to mind recently was back in April, I had an issue with my tooth and the cost of fixing it was going to be a major issue, and I was praying and almost begging for God to provide/help in any way he could, the next day I received a phone call from a member of our own Hook Family, mentioning they had heard about my dental issue and the financial pressure that comes with it and wanted to help financially. The money they sent was the exact amount of my treatment to the pound, which was an amazing example of how God not only provides but provides each of us opportunities to serve/ help others.
8. Spotlight on the Suffering Church
Being a Christian in Algeria.
In this item we are going to discuss what is happening to Christians in Algeria. If you can imagine a city the size of Oxford, with approximately 134,00 inhabitants this is the number of Christians, there are in the whole country of Algeria. Although Algeria has dropped to a lower number in the World Watch list, persecution is still rife, the number of physical attacks had decreased. The problems for Christians are mainly at their highest in rural areas and mainly conservative Muslim areas. Also, the Government has closed 16 churches and banned their use.
I would now like to tell you about two specific people, Pastor Rachid and Nouh who he works with. Pastor Rachid is the Pastor of Oran City Church, he and Nouh also ran a Christian bookshop where they sold Bibles and Christians resources, they also had a printing machine in the shop. Pastor Rachid and Nouh have been arrested twice for blasphemy and proselytising the first time was in 2008, having been taken to court there they were finally acquitted of these offences. more recently they have been arrested again when the shop was raided. Again, Bible and Christian literature which could be used as' a means of seduction intending to convert a Muslim to another religion'. They were again arrested and taken to court, they were found guilty and sentenced to two years imprisonment. However, on appeal this was reduced to one year suspended sentence and a fine. these are not the only Christians who have been arrested, in the last few months two others have been arrested and are now in prison for blasphemy.
Whilst there is a small community of Christians in Algeria, most of these brothers and sisters are converts from Islam and many face much harassment and trials from their families and communities. So, it takes much faith and bravery to become a convert to Christianity in this country.
If this has touched your heart and you feel you would like to pray for Algeria on a regular basis, please speak to Barbara and she will give you a copy of the World Watch List which will give you more information on Algeria.
Barbara
9. Operation Christmas Child 2022 will soon be here.
In the past our boxes have been sent to Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Kyrgyzstan.
Last year, we as a church, were able to send 232 boxes to children in Liberia. Can we send more this year?
All these boxes were sent as an expression of God’s love to children who have little or nothing of their own.
If you would like to be involved again this year now is the time to start collecting items to fill your shoebox.
If you would like further details of what to include in your box or how you can be more involved, please speak to Margaret or Iris.
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Note from the editor and November 2022 Newsletter
As ever I am indebted to the various folk in the church who keep me supplied with items for the Church newsletter. If you ever feel inspired to send me anything to be included in future issues, please feel free to either email or give it to me at Church. All will be gratefully received and as you may have noticed you don’t have to have your name published if you would rather not. I am very aware of how busy, lives are and therefore whenever I ask someone if they would contribute I am conscious that I am yet another person wanting some of their time. So special thanks for contributions so readily given.
The next newsletter will be in November and the deadline is Wed 26th October
All contributions to rosemarybuncehook@gmail.com
Friendship is good for the soul