Ramsey IMC News

 Ramsey Independent Methodist Church News

Also Available Online at www.ramseyimchurch.org!

Spring 2010

 

 

          Dear Friends,

                       Its good to see the daffodils in bloom with their yellow trumpets heralding the approach of spring. The dark days of winter are past and we can look forward, hopefully, to some warm summer days ahead. Lambs in the fields around the island remind us of the joy of new birth. But for me the most uplifting aspect of spring is Eastertime. This is the most significant season in the Christian calendar because it is the season in which we remember the most important event in history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death on the cross means that we can know the reality of sins forgiven. We can have new life in him. Because he took the punishment our sin deserves we are no longer under condemnation but can be free to live as God intended. By his resurrection Jesus defeated death, the enemy many fear, and opened the way to heaven. Jesus has done this because he loves us.

 

Easter is a time of celebration. At the heart of our celebration are an empty cross and an empty tomb. These are not just cold facts but realities which point to Jesus who is not dead but alive for evermore and wanting to meet with us day by day. May you each have an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus this Easter.

          Keith

 

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The Crossroads

    The terrain was inhospitable, I was shattered, and there was not a sign of civilisation in sight. It had been one long and lonely struggle through arid and hostile territory, which seemed to have been going on for a lifetime…………. Then, as I came to the next crossroads, there is was: an old rundown shelter – well set back in the shadows.

     Would I meet friend or foe here? I was so parched and famished by this time, I was beyond caring. At least I would get some respite from the howling of the wind and relentless rain.

     And so it was that I gingerly opened the creaking old door. Seconds later I found myself….. inside. But inside what exactly? As my eyes became accustomed to the poor lighting, I gradually realised that I was in some kind of depot, or store room. It was the strangest place I have ever seen. I called out to attract attention, but there was no response. I was all alone, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of crosses…….

    Crosses of all shapes and sizes. Some leaned back against the wall, looking listless and uncared for, while others stood to attention – rigid, unyielding, and lifeless. And over there, different group altogether were leaning nonchalantly against a long dark counter. They certainly brightened the place up. Instead of plain brown wood that you would expect, these crosses had been painted the most exciting psychedelic patterns. The colour combinations were so eye-catching, so breathtakingly beautiful, and the lightweight wood which had been used to make them obviously made them much easier and more pleasant to carry. Some were even designed with a fitted head-set to provide impromptu choruses and hymns to skip, dance or march to. Most intriguing of all were the crosses that folded down to a sitting or reclining position, all well padded, of course, for extra comfort.

   Just then a notice on the counter caught my eye. “Please ring for attention”. I was looking around for a bell to press, when suddenly the room erupted as the outer door burst open. In came a figure with a cross under his arm. This was a cross that surpassed all the rest in it’s style, it’s colours and all the extra gadgetry attached to it. He had obviously been here before. He marched resolutely up to the notice inviting him to “Please ring to attention”. No wonder I had not found a

 

bell to press. He picked up a telephone receiver on the wall, which I had not seen until that moment.

    Contact was immediate. “Look!” he said, not giving the other a chance to speak, “I’ve tried the lot, and quite honestly I’m not happy with any of them. Mind if I leave now?”

    And without waiting for a response, he stomped over to a dark corner that I had not previously noticed. I watched in amazement as he hurled his cross into the darkness, where it finally shattered and came to rest upon the ever growing heap of other bygone failures.

    It seemed he was in a hurry to go, and the door soon slammed behind him.

    Hardly had he gone, when in came another, bowed and bent and carrying much the same style of cross. He spoke long and low into the receiver, so that I couldn’t catch his words, but the Voice at the other end sounded happy.

    “I’m glad you want to go on,” He said warmly, “But the next stage of the journey is the hardest. This time the cross is not your choosing but Mine. But come on through. You’ll need food and rest before you go, and besides, there is much to talk about.”

    Alone once again…. I found my eyes directed to the invitation to “Please ring for attention”. The letters had now become larger and illuminated, and I could resist it no longer. Heart thumping, I picked up the phone.

    “I wondered how long it would take you!” The Voice was kind and welcoming.

    Many questions and answers later, I found myself remarking on the strange storeroom I had wandered into.

      “Ah….! These,” He explained, “are all the crosses invented by man to suit his own needs. Even when they have designed one they like, they soon tire of it. Sometimes they come back and do a straight swap out there; sometimes they will note down the various features that appeal to them and go off and incorporate these ideas into some newly fashioned extravaganza. The tragedy is that so many simply give up.”

    The sadness in His voice suddenly evaporated and there was gladness and warmth as He asked:

“So what can I do for you?”

 

By Jill Wells

                

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Book Review

PRISON TO PRAISE by Merlin Carothers

 

In this autobiography, Merlin Carothers tells about the life changing experiences God brought about in his life.

During his early days in the forces, he was a bit of a character…. armed robbery, absent without leave and black market activities. He married an English girl, while at university in Bristol.

His grandparents were Christians and on one occasion, while visiting them, they asked him to go to church with them. He made every excuse he could and phoned all his friends to come and pick him up, but he was trapped.  While he was feeling sorry for these sad people around him, God spoke to him. He saw that God was real.

At the same time, his grandfather sitting next to him was making his own covenant with God. If you save Merlin, I’ll stop chewing tobacco and smoking. He was amazed when Merlin went out to the front to accept Jesus. (Like the Christians we have been thinking about in the Bible Study praying for Peter in Acts!) God does answer prayer and his grandfather kept his agreement with God. Merlin’s wife also became a Christian.

He was always looking for excitement in his job, like parachuting. God gave him excitement in his Christian life as well, because he wanted all that God had for him.

He became a chaplain and went everywhere with his men.

He experienced healing and wanted to experience more of God’s power, but was directed in the wrong way to hypnotism and other things of the evil spirit world, which seriously damaged his faith.

Then he found what he had been looking for. He met some Christians who had been baptised in the Holy Spirit. His eyes were opened when he, himself was filled with the Spirit. He became infectious with the gospel. People he talked to became Christians and were healed and had their lives transformed in amazing ways. God used him mightily in preaching in various places and people were saved and filled with the Spirit wherever he went.

Amazing things happened when he went to Vietnam in 1966.I won’t spoil it by telling you now. Read it for yourself.

He began learning from God that he wanted him to praise and thank Him in every situation; the car breaking down, a headache, hay fever, and he saw God resolving them in amazing ways.

He started sharing the power of praise with others and amazing things happened. They experienced great release in their lives.

He learned the reality of Ephesians chapters 1 and 2, being in the heavenly places with Christ, having broken through the darkness of his situation with praise.

It is only a short book and very readable, so do read it for yourself. It really is exciting and I’m sure it will build your own faith.

Any questions it raises, please ask one of the Price family.

 

By Heather Price

 

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Icthus Update!

We have now managed to give out roughly 500 of the 1000 CDs which arrived before Christmas. Once the Christmas rush was over we started to get feed back from people who had received copies. Many Christians who have heard the songs have kindly sent us letters of encouragement as they can see the potential the music has for reaching out to the younger generation. The youngsters who have received the CD’s have also responded well and we continue to get positive feedback. Some of you who have read the “Connexion” Magazine (The magazine for Independent Methodist Churches) lately will have seen an article about the band and the CD project. It was an honour to be asked to share our story and we thanked God for this great opportunity. We hope and pray that people will be encouraged by what is going on here and inspired to reach out in new and inventive ways where they live. We also prayed that God would use this to impact more people with His good news through the songs and offered free CD’s to any churches who could use them to reach out to the youth in their area.

We don’t know what other opportunities God may open up through this but already something VERY exciting has happened. The minister of Stockton Heath Church, contacted us a couple of weeks back to see if it would be possible for them to have 20+ CD’s for the 15-18 yr old they work with. That was pretty exciting but she went on to say that she is the Chaplain of a nearby Young Offender’s Prison and the young men who would be receiving the CDs were regulars at their services there! Young people like these are really in need of some hope and we get to tell them about Jesus and the lasting, never ending hope He brings without actually being in the same room as them! This is one of the reasons for making the CD in the first place. We can share how much God loves us and what Jesus did for us with far more people than we can at concerts alone. Thank God for the ways He is developing this project and the opportunities He’s opening up. Please also pray for these guys and everyone else who has received a CD. Pray that they will listen to the CD, will appreciate the gift, like the music, be touched by the message and that God will make Himself real to them and draw them back to Himself! Please pray for all the members of the band too as we continue to reach out with the Gospel and look to God for the way forward for this work. 

Rachel

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Flower

Festival

We will, once again, be taking part in the Flower Festival this year. The theme for 2010 is “Rejoice” to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the festival. Plans for our displays are well under way. Some of our friends from other churches have already kindly agreed to help so we would like to say a big thank you to them and especially to those from this Church that are keen to be involved. As always there are plenty of ways to get involved, from manning the church for an hour or two or providing refreshments to actually helping to assemble the displays. Whatever your gifts there are ways you can be involved and we really do appreciate all the help we receive.

 If you feel you’d like to get involved then please have a word with Heather. 

 

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