January
31st Sunday
February
17th Wednesday
7 - 8pm – South West Hants Group Ash
Wednesday service, to mark the beginning of Lent, at Chandler’s Ford URC.
When the
Jewish people of the Old Testament disobeyed God, prophets called them to
repent, to turn away from their sins and to have a change of heart. The people would put on clothes made from
rough cloth, cover their heads with ashes; they would fast and pray for God’s
mercy.
For
Christians, Ash Wednesday begins the forty day season of Lent that leads to
Easter. On Ash Wednesday we come together like the people of the Old Testament
to remind ourselves that we do not always follow God’s ways and that we need to
ask God for His mercy. The Ashes symbolise that which keeps us from God and a
sign that we want to change, in order that we can live in peace and joy with
God and with each other. The church is invited to a period of discipline,
meditation and prayer before the Easter celebrations.
At our Group
Ash Wednesday service we will explore these themes through prayer and meditation.
It will also include an ‘ashing ceremony’ where palm crosses from the previous
year are burnt and the ashes used to make a sign of the cross on those
gathered. This symbolises the Old Testament practice described above and
displays our intent to fast and pray in the lead up to Easter.
Please do come
along to what will be a quiet, reflective and hopefully moving service of
worship.
21st
Sunday
9.30am – Holy
Communion Service led by Rev Cliff Bembridge. Communion collection for Retired
Ministers Housing Society.
22nd
Monday
Fairtrade Fortnight is
about getting more people talking about and buying Fairtrade and we want you
and your church to be involved. From 22 February – 7 March we want everyone in
the UK
swapping for Fairtrade. Your usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, your usual
cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, and most of all your usual cuppa for a
Fairtrade cuppa. Each and every swap proves that the people of the UK want
producers in the developing world to get a fairer deal. We’ve seen some big Fairtrade swaps – from
the Houses of Parliament swapping to Fairtrade tea and coffee in 1997 to
Cadbury swapping its Dairy Milk to Fairtrade in 2009. Everyone in the Fairtrade
movement can be proud of all we have achieved but there is still so far to go
if we are going to tip the balance in favour of disadvantaged farmers and
workers. Millions of farmers across the world struggle to feed their families
and yet they supply us with everyday items which we enjoy. Fairtrade has given
them what one worker called ‘sustainability of life’ – security for the future,
funds to invest in education, health and economic development and has ‘opened
the vista for a sense of belonging and self-development.’ But for their dreams
to become a reality, we need to ensure that more people buy Fairtrade more
often. So in Fairtrade Fortnight 2010, let’s get swapping, really build on the
progress we have made and make a difference for more farmers and workers than
ever.
In Palestine, olive and olive oil production is
a vital source of income for many farmers. Olive farmer Mahmoud Issa, a member
of the Anin Co-operative, is ecstatic about his co-op becoming Fairtrade
certified in 2009. Mahmoud’s home village
of Anin is surrounded on
three sides by a wire fence and has just a single road entering it, as it
borders an illegal Israeli settlement area. Because some farmers have olive
groves which lie on the other side of the fence they have to cross an Israeli
army checkpoint to tend their crop, but this is only open for a few hours in
the morning and early evening. Earning extra income when harvesting is also
harder as the nearby larger village which farmers previously relied on for work
now lies within the settlement area too, and getting a permit can take as long
as three or four years. Faced with increasing financial hardship, farmers are
forced to look for work elsewhere, which means leaving their land and crops for
long periods of time. This can have a deteriorating impact on the quality of
their olives. Mahmoud says ‘All I want is a fair price for my olives so I can
continue to farm and support my family.’ Among the first things the farmers say
they would like to buy with their Fairtrade premium are more mobile storage
containers. The quicker the olives are pressed after harvesting and transferred
to the stainless steel containers, the better the quality of the oil. Mahmoud
says the benefits of Fairtrade certification to small farmers like him will be
significant. ‘In the past, we were often forced to sell our products at a loss
due to the economic situation, but we are hoping that Fairtrade will help
re-establish small farmers’ faith in the sustainability of the agricultural
sector in Palestine.’
Fairtrade olive oil is available from Zaytoun, Equal Exchange, Traidcraft and
Essential Trading amongst others. Look out for the oil on supermarket shelves
too.
You can now buy Fairtrade melons (Asda and Morrison's) and a wide range of Fairtrade bodycare products (26 at
Boots, as well as a number available from smaller shops). In addition, last
year the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation expanded its standards to cover all herbs and spices so look for a wide
range of Fairtrade cooking ingredients to appear in shops.
28th
Sunday
9.30am – Service
led by Rev Edward Symmons.
March
7 - 9pm – SWHG ‘Alternative Worship’ led by
Rev Tim Searle at Freemantle URC – the first of several special events
organised by the SWHG preaching team, led by Rev Tim Searle, using prayer
stations.
7.30pm – Licensing of Rev Robert Sanday at
Lord’s Hill LEP (part of the South West Hants Group).
10.15am - JUST FOOD? CONFERENCE - The
Southampton Fairtrade Group, in conjunction with Solent University,
are organising a conference to explore links between the Fair Trade and local
food movements. Unjust terms of trade affect the food we eat and the people who
produce it, not only in the developing world but also here at home. In response
to the global food crisis apparently incompatible movements have emerged – one to
develop fair trade abroad, and one to favour products that are produced and
sold ethically locally. Is it possible to have an ethical, healthy and
sustainable world food system that provides people with a decent living in
stable communities? There will be speakers, cookery demonstrations, fair trade
simulation workshop, and stalls from organisations concerned with the idea of
‘just food’. The conference starts at 10.15 am in the Conference Centre, Solent University,
Above Bar Street. Admission £3 or £2 unwaged.
The
following days will run from 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. Cost: £20 including coffee, lunch & a cup of
tea. There will be led sessions as well as time for quiet reflection, and
prayer ministry will be available if required.
March 20th, Preparing for Easter, led by Rev Edward
Symmons.
July 10th, Consider the Birds, led by Ann Lewin.
September 18th, My Father is the Gardener, led by David
Stone.
November 27th, Preparing for Advent, led by Ann Lewin.
If
you would like to take advantage of an en suite room and good home cooking, enjoying
further relaxation and fellowship, you can book to stay at Broadgate House before
and/or after the Saturday. To enquire about rates and availability, or to book
the Time Aside, please phone Julie or
John Reeves on 023 8025 2673.
April
1st
Thursday
7.30pm – Maundy Thursday joint celebration
‘The Last Supper’ at Isaac Watts.
2nd
Friday
10am – Good Friday service at Freemantle URC followed by
United Act of Witness at Shirley Precinct.
3rd Saturday
9.30am – Coffee morning and table top sale
at Freemantle URC.