Albania project: young people’s fundraising

  Two recent fundraising initiatives from the Junior Mission Group, from this church’s Sunday Club, has resulted in £26.44 being collected from a toy sale, which was held outside the church on 21st April, and £229.51 being raised from recent donations made in ‘Smarties’ tubes.  This latter figure includes £64.71 from the Sunday Club’s ‘Traffic Light’ missions collection.

  This means that a total of £766.95 has been raised so far this year from our young people’s fundraising activities.

  This money goes to the ‘Albanians for Albania’ project, to support the work among Roma children in Shkodra, Albania.

By Chris Songer.

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Local Christian Aid activities

* We need door-to-door collectors for Christian Aid Week.  If you can help, please contact Julia Clarke as soon as possible.

* To donate books, gifts, soft toys and games for the Christian Aid Fayre on 19th May, contact Carol Baughan or Chris Songer.

* Please spend money at the Fayre!

* Support the Christian Aid Concert held at St Paul’s Church, Hatfield Road at 7.30pm.

* Join in the united service at St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, on Sunday 20th May at 6pm.  This service is led by Jonathan Ellis, Diocesan World Development Adviser, speaking on the theme: ’Restoring some of the fruit’.

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Growing for God

 With such a wealth of horticultural knowledge to be found among the friends and members of this church, I thought that our church could become almost self-sufficient by having an allotment.

  An allotment is quite large - ten poles - that could be easily made into three parts: one for vegetables; one for flowers, and one as a ‘biblical garden’.

  The vegetable plot could grow vegetables for our Harvest festival; for educational use; for distribution among the needy in the community, and for mission fund raising events and so on.

  This plot could allow us to have a go at growing pulses and beans, or grow vegetables and follow Daniel’s vegetable diet - cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks, herbs and so on.

  The flower plot could consist of flowers of the fields. In springtime in Galilee, the hillsides are covered with wild flowers: daisies, anemonies, crocuses, poppies and crown margurites.  Perhaps our garden could emulate Galilean fields.

  Also, we could grow flowers for church decoration and for distribution among the church fellowship, supplementing and enhancing the current flower distribution.

  The biblical garden could be exceptionally interesting.  We could grow an almond tree - the first fruit tree to flower after winter in Palestine; hence the Hebrew name, which translates as ‘waker’. Almonds are a popular Middle Eastern recipe ingredient.

  Although dates might not be quite the right choice for a St Albans climate, a fig tree would work well.  Fig trees grow everywhere in Israel and there are many biblical stories and illustrations that use the fig tree and, given a good summer, the ripe fruit will be highly nutrious and sweet.

  The list of biblical flora is wide: myrtle - a symbol of God’s generosity; the castor oil plant; olives; grapes; flax; carob; myrrh; cinnamon; wheat; hyssop; pomegranate; lemon, and orange are all possible contenders for the garden.

  At the moment, all this is just at the idea stage.  We need to make sure we have enough hands to make it work.

  So, if you are interested in digging over, planning, planting, distributing, gathering, educating, watering or just like the idea of a place to sit, pray, enjoy or even share a picnic, please contact me to register your interest.

By Caroline Williams.

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Diptipur update

  According to Dr. Samson Das, he has had further discussions in Cuttack with Dr. Rajnish and advertisements have already been placed for a surgeon and an eye specialist.  Please pray that God will provide the right people.

  Rajnish is prepared to lead and take on responsibility for Diptipur Hospital and he needs our prayers as he shoulders this heavy task.  His wife, Litty, needed an emergency operation three weeks ago in Cuttack - and this was followed by a severe asthma attack, which again required hospitalisation.  Thankfully, she is now well on the road to recovery.

  Diptipur’s local bishop, C K Das , has had further discussions with Dr Samson Das on 14th April about the future development of the hospital and has received a copy of Church Chat with the update of the hospital.

  Dr Rajnish Samal writes that they are just a step away from being accredited for the Government’s programme for maternity and childcare.  This means that the hospital is being recognised.  Further progress in this private/government partnership is being planned.  The hospital also had a visit from Dr Lucy Mathen from Second Sight, UK, with a view to partnership to help with eye treatment, especially blindness resulting from cataracts.

  So you will see that exciting things are happening at Diptipur and I would ask for your continuing prayers for the work there.

  And, finally... this year is the Golden Jubilee of the Diptipur Hospital and I have been given the privilege of choosing the date of the celebrations to coincide with my visit in November. 

By Aileen Hagen.

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Cash for Chennai’s Children’s Bible School

  Marshalswick Baptist Free Church (MBFC) recently sent some 33,000 rupees - about £400 - to fund the Children’s Bible School in Chennai (formerly Madras) in India, which is being run by Pastor Prakash Raj.

  Prakash, who visited Marshalswick briefly a couple of years ago, runs a Bible School at the church where he is the minister.

  MBFC’s gift will cover all of the school’s running costs and the costs of materials used in the school for two months.

By Chris Songer.