LETTER FROM THE MINISTER

April 2008 Dear Friends, It is easy for me as a minister to stand up and say that Christ is risen, that the world is a different place as a result and you could all say “Alleluia!” and then we'd all go on our way feeling good about everything. But at some point we have to work out what our Easter faith means in light of the real world, because the real world is not looking transformed. It is a place where evil and death seem to reign supreme and unchallenged much of the time. People plant bombs on buses carrying people to work. Politicians become dictators in some parts of the world and people don’t have enough to eat. Relationships fall apart all across the globe and human beings are in danger of destroying the only home we have. So what do we mean when we say Christ is risen and life is triumphing over death? The message of Easter, and its public promotion, is dangerous and disruptive for the same reason that Jesus himself was dangerous and disruptive. It is because it violates and exposes so many of the accepted patterns of our world and our society, and those patterns have become the basis of so many little empires and power bases. Jesus got himself into a lot of trouble because he challenged and undermined the accepted world view on which so many had built their monopolies and empires. They were not going to give them up without a fight, and that fight went as far as having Jesus set up on false charges and sentenced to death by torture. The good news that we celebrate at Easter is that Jesus' radical message of freedom and transformation didn't end there. Just as the tomb couldn’t hold Jesus, so the prison couldn't hold Peter and John. So, as we attested this Easter, from our own experiences, Jesus Christ is alive, and continuing to set people free from all that would destroy them. Jesus Christ continues to be active in the world, undermining the strongholds of exploitation, degradation and injustice. But as exciting as that news is, there is a scary side. The risen Christ stands among us now, as we read of him standing among his followers on the first Easter Sunday, and says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are not permitted to stay locked in for ever. Jesus found the disciples locked away in a room together, sheltering from the world outside, and in the encounter he renewed their confidence and commissioned them for action. Of course, there is nothing wrong with us spending time together. God does want us to be together in sheltered spaces, seeking to deepen our intimacy with Christ, and to be transformed and empowered by him. If we are to be Christ's followers we need that. But the risen Christ does not let us stay in this sheltered room the whole time. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are to go, to witness to the reality of new life, to witness to God's passion for justice and love, and to oppose everything that would destroy and degrade the beauty that God intended for the created world. Out we go to make known the good news of God's all-inclusive love. If we want to live up to our identity as God's children and as followers of Jesus then we must as a community take on his mantle and continue his mission. Whether it be the Holiday Club or a coffee morning, these are signs of Christ alive and Christ active today. May God bless all we do in his name. With love and prayers, Russell J Furley-Smith

Comment from Brigitte Habermann

Lebendiger Glaube,wachsende Gemeinschaft, unter diesem Thema versammelten sich die Partnergemeinden der URC in Purley . Beeindruckt hat uns das große Engagement, vom liebevollen Empfang am späten Abend bis zum gesamten Tagesablauf.Viel Freude bereitete mir das Käferspiel welches für alle Teilnehmer eine gute Möglichkeit war,sich „ins Spiel“ zu bringen. Ein sehr schönes Erlebnis war der gemeinsame Tagesausflug nach Canterbury und die Möglichkeit einen Tag frei zu gestalten. Unvergessen bleiben manche lustige Episoden,die bei der Verständigung auftraten und die spontane Entscheidung meiner Gruppe,die Diskussion im Pub weiterzuführen.Das ist vielleicht auch eine Form von „Öffentlichkeitsarbeit“.Ebenso die Einladung zum Abendessen in anderen Familien der Gemeinde.Sehr gut war das Forum mit Vertretern verschiedener Religionen,eine Einladung zur Information , Auseinandersetzung und Suche nach Wegen zum Miteinander. Die Konferenz bot uns die Chance über Probleme zu sprechen,die auch für uns relevant werden können.Es wurde deutlich wie wichtig es ist, zuzuhören ,zu respektieren und unseren eigenen Glauben zu festigen.Gleichermaßen ist es wichtig , Erfahrungen weiterzugeben und jüngere Gemeindeglieder in die Arbeit einzubeziehen. Höhepunkt war der Abschlussgottesdienst mit Abendmahl.Die Musik und der Gesang des Ave Verum von Mozart berührten mich innigst.Auf andere Weise gefiel mir der lebendige Gottesdienst mit dem „We are marching in the light of God“ Pfarrer.Russel Furley-Smith hat dies nicht nur durch die Gestaltung des Gottesdienstes sondern auch mit seiner Person und seiner Kleidung symbolisiert. Vermisst habe ich ein gemeinsames Gebet vor den Mahlzeiten,dafür leckere Desserts danach. Bei dem Gedanken läuft mir jetzt noch das Wasser im Mund zusammen.Hierfür besonderen Dank dem Verpflegungspersonal und allen Gastgebern , denn nicht nur die gemeinsamen, insbesondere die ganz persönlichen Erlebnisse, haben mir das Gefühl der wachsenden Gemeinschaft vermittelt.Allen Beteiligten ein Dankeschön für ihren Einsatz und die großartige Organisation einschließlich Wetter.Eine Konferenz die Maßstäbe setzt und die mich reich beschenkt hat.Im Namen der Dessauer Teilnehmer. Brigitte Habermann

Extract From Dessau Web site

13. Internationale Partnerschaftskonferenz Freitag 27. Juli – Montag 6. August 2007 Purley United Reformed Church, Brighton Road, Purley “Über den tiefen Grad der Unkenntnis (über andereGlaubensrichtungen), der damals, d.h. vor 10 bis 15Jahren, üblich war – kann man sich heutzutage nicht mehr hinwegsetzen.“ (Erzbischof Rowan Williams, Juni 2005) „Unsere wichtigsten Glaubenstraditionen – die alle von viel grösserer geschichtlicher Bedeutung und viel tiefer verwurzelt sind als irgendeine politische Partei oder Ideologie – spielen eine wesentliche Rolle, indem sie die Werte bekräftigen und verbreiten, die uns als Volk verbinden.“ (Premierminister Tony Blair, 2001) „Ich kenne ihre Werke und ihre Gedanken und komme, um alle Völker und Zungen zu versammeln, dass sie kommen und meine Herrlichkeit sehen.“ (Jesaja 66, 18) Unsere moderne Welt formt sich sowohl durch die Massenbewegungen von Menschen über traditionelle und durch Menschen gemachte Grenzen hinweg, als auch durch die Geschwindigkeit der technologischen Veränderungen, die Kommunikationsmittel, Transport und Lebensstil gänzlich umgestaltet haben. Die weltweite Gemeinschaft sowie die meisten lokalen Gruppierungen nehmen zunehmend Nachbarn zur Kenntnis, die anderen Traditionen, anderen Kulturen und anderen Glaubensrichtungen angehören. Unsere moderne Welt ist aber auch aufgeschreckt durch ständige Feindschaft, Kriege und Terroranschläge – deren Ursachen nach verbreiteter Ansicht ihre Wurzeln in den entgegengesetzten Ansprüchen der konkurierenden Religionen und Kulturen haben können. Dies ist der Kontext für uns und unsere Partnergemeinden in den USA, in Deutschland und in der Tschechischen Republik. Wir arbeiten alle unter komplexen Verhältnissen – jedes anders, jedes mit seinen bestimmten Herausforderungen: aber gemeinsam für alle ist der Wunsch und die Notwendigkeit, dass wir unserem christlichen Glauben entsprechend leben und andere dazu einladen, daran teilzunehmen. Kann die Stimme des Glaubens gehört werden in Fragen, die unsere Nachbarschaften, unsere Gemeinden, unsere Gesellschaften und unsere Nationen angehen? Wenn ja, wie? Sind dies gemeinsame Herausforderungen und Gelegenheiten für Menschen verschiedener Religionen, oder eher eine Quelle des Konfliktes und der Spaltung? Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es zum Gespräch und zum Dialog, wo Stereotypien und Vorurteile überwunden werden können, und wo gemeinsame Annäherungen eher als Verschiedenheiten betont werden können? Im Grunde: wie leben wir zusammen in unserer multikulturellen und multireligiösen Welt? Insbesonders, wie können Menschen von verschiedenem Glauben nicht nur zusammenleben, sondern auch zusammen arbeiten, um Grenzen abzubauen und dabei zu helfen, dass Verständnis für gemeinsame Identität und gemeinsame Ziele unter uns wächst? Daher das Thema unserer Konferenz: Lebendiger Glaube – wachsende Gemeinschaft Wir haben vor, dieses Thema durch die Vielfältigkeit der Erfahrungen in unseren verschiedenen Ländern und durch eine Vielfalt von Anregungen anzusprechen: •Bischof Nick Baines, Bischof von Croydon, wird uns einen Vortrag halten über den multikulturellen Kontext der vielfachen Glaubensrichtungen im 21. Jahrhundert im Vereinigten Königreich. •Wir wollen mehrere Orte und Organisationen besuchen, wo diese Fragen ideenreich angesprochen werden. •Wir hoffen Menschen zu besuchen oder aber von ihnen zu hören, die in komplexen multikulturellen und multireligiösen Einrichtungen arbeiten. •Wir wollen Experten des multikulturellen und multireligiösen Dialoges zu einem offenen Gespräch einladen. Sicher bietet der Kontext der Konferenz selber hervorragende Möglichkeiten an, dass glaubende Menschen aus verschiedenen Ländern und verschiedenen Kulturen das Thema unter sich zwanglos untersuchen. Unsere Absicht ist es, dass als Folge der Partnerschaftskonferenz die Teilnehmer ermutigt und fähig sein werden, in ihre eigene Umgebung zurückzukehren mit einem besseren Verständnis, das sie brauchen, um Sachverhalte anzusprechen, und mit erstävrktem Selbstvertrauen, dass sie als glaubende Menschen in ihren eigenen Gemeinschaften leben können. A rough translation 13. International conference of partnership Friday 27 July - Monday 6 August 2007 Purley United Reformed Church, Brighton Road, Purley “over the deep degrees of the unawareness (over other faith directions), which was usual at that time, i.e. before 10 to 15Jahren, - one cannot jump over oneself nowadays any longer. “(Archbishop Rowan Williams, June 2005) „our most important faith traditions - which everything of much greater historical importance and many more deeply verwurzelt is than a any political party or ideology - play a substantial role, by affirming and spreading the values, which connect us as a people. “(Prime minister Tony Blair, 2001) „I know its works and its thoughts and come, in order to meet all peoples and tongues that they come and see my glory. “(Jesaja 66, 18) our modern world forms itself both by the mass movements of humans over traditional and by humans made borders away, and by the speed of the technological changes, which completely transformed means of communication, transport and life-style. The world-wide community as well as most local groupings take increasingly neighbours to the knowledge, which other traditions, other cultures and other faith directions belong. In addition, our modern world is up-frightened by constant enmity, wars and terrorist attacks - whose causes can have in common opinion their roots in the opposite requirements of the konkurierenden religions and cultures. This is the context for us and our partner municipalities in the USA, in Germany and in the Czech republic. We work all under complex conditions - everyone differently, everyone with its certain challenges: but for all the desire and the necessity that we live accordingly our Christian faith and invite others to it are common, to participate in it. Can the voice of the faith be heard in questions, which our neighbourhoods, our municipalities, our societies and our nations to concern? If, how? This are common challenges and opportunities for humans of different religions, or rather a source of the conflict and splitting? Which possibilities are there to the discussion and to the dialogue, where Stereotypien and prejudices to be overcome to be able, and where common approximations can be stressed rather as differences? In the reason: how do we live together in our multi-cultural and multi-religious world? In particular, how humans of different faith cannot only live together, but also work together, in order to diminish borders and at it help that understanding for common identity and common goals grow among us? Therefore the topic of our conference: Alive faith - increasing community we intend to address this topic by the variety of the experiences in our different countries and by variety of suggestions: • Bishop nod Baines, bishop von Croydon, for us a lecture will hold over the multi-cultural context of the multiple faith directions in 21. Century in the united kingdom. • We want to visit several places and organizations, where these questions are idea-rich addressed. • We hope to visit or however from them to hear humans, who work in complex multi-cultural and multi-religious mechanisms. • We want to invite experts of the multi-cultural and multi-religious dialogue to an open discussion. Reliably the context offers outstanding possibilities to the conference that believing humans from different countries and different cultures examine the topic under itself informally. Our intention is it that as consequence of the conference of partnership the participants will be encouraged and capable of, to their own environment to return with a better understanding, which they need, in order to address circumstances, and with erstävrktem self-assurance that they can live as believing humans in their own communities.

Message from Linda McNair

Partnership at Purley A magic moment occurred during the conference that seemed to express all the feelings I’d been having. When our Hartford group was on stage leading the partnership members in singing “Alleluia, Praise Ye the Lord”, I felt this thrill looking out at a sea of smiling faces united past all language barriers. I felt a true communion with everyone at that moment, and felt the unique gift of this shared experience-one that I think will be hard to accurately describe and capture for nonparticipants, though I will certainly try! I feel a deep gratitude towards our hosts, as I did in Ostrava, when I see people take time out of their lives to ferry us about and make sure we’re fed, stimulated, entertained and more. Add to that the hours put in to planning that we could not witness- the plans, the organizing (I am still laughing at Judith’s “oh, you’re NOT coming!?” in the Purley skit), and still we were greeted each day with warmth, smiles and tea (can’t forget the tea!). I strengthened old friendships, made some new and am determined to return to get to know those behind the many faces who offered such warm smiles. Oh, and the trip to Canterbury- what an awe inspiring place! Our thoughtful visits to various places, our good sharing, our great dinner out. All so well done. And Purley- your church’s stained glass windows are meant to be shared in postcards, Pamela Pavitt’s fiber art shines, Russell’s words both delight and move, and your music inspires. A charming town that teased me with four thrift shops. This winter I will wear the hats from our skit as I discovered that yes, I could fit them in my suitcase after all! I will refer to them as my Purley hats… I do want to add if any of our menfolk suddenly start to dress a bit flashier, we know who is to blame. Thank you, Purley, for an unforgettable experience. –Linda McNair

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Latest News

Hi Conference is in full swing everything is going to plan, everyone is enjoying themselves free day today lots of different outings planed. The most important fact Bob McNair has broken our kettle at home and Raymond has smashed a glass we are hoping we can hold out until Sunday!!!

Hello Partnership friends,I am SO looking forward to seeing you this summer. We have a sizeable delegation from Immanuel/Hartford and I am very excited that a number of people new to Partnership are coming.To share some long overdue news of Rachel & Erik -- they were married last June and have spent almost this entire year travelling the world backpacker-style. They will finally return to Hartford on May 22 (hurray!) and will be with our family until the end of the summer when they move to New York CIty for graduate school.Sadly, they will not be able to attend Partnership this time.However, you can catch up with their many adventures this year by checking out their travel blog & photos at www.rachelanderik.blogspot.com. Of course, it's very long by now, but you can dip in and just read a little at a time.Greetings to all.Sallysallytaylor@comcast.net