22.05.2023 Views

The Parish Magazine June 2023

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning, and Sonning Eye since 1869

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning, and Sonning Eye since 1869

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

From page 13<br />

PARISH NOTICEBOARD — 5<br />

Commonwealth<br />

persecution<br />

are Christians, and most severe<br />

persecution is reserved for those<br />

who come from Muslim, Hindu,<br />

Buddhist or tribal backgrounds.<br />

In Brunei, 12% are Christians and<br />

their insecurity has increased due<br />

to the recent implementation of<br />

Sharia (Islamic law), governing<br />

non-Muslims as well as Muslims.<br />

<strong>The</strong> constitution of Malaysia<br />

says that to leave Islam is<br />

punishable by death, although<br />

this has never been implemented.<br />

Every ethnic Malay is expected to<br />

be Muslim. <strong>The</strong> Maldives contains,<br />

according to Open Doors, ‘a very<br />

small number’ of Christians. No<br />

religious minorities are recognised<br />

by the state and every citizen is<br />

considered Muslim.<br />

Christian converts must follow<br />

Jesus in the greatest secrecy. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

can, if discovered, be stripped of<br />

their citizenship or even given the<br />

death penalty.<br />

PRAYER<br />

In the early days of this new<br />

Carolean era, let us pray for the<br />

new monarch and royal family. Let<br />

us remember to lift up in prayer<br />

the believers in the countries<br />

where Christians are persecuted<br />

in the Commonwealth of Nations<br />

of which he is head.<br />

References and further reading<br />

Good Morning America on the<br />

Commonwealth and the Coronation:<br />

https://www.goodmorningamerica.<br />

com/news/story/monarchy-diedqueen-commonwealth-countriesmuted-view-ahead-99078801<br />

Washington Post on the<br />

Commonwealth:<br />

https://www.washingtonpost.com/<br />

world/<strong>2023</strong>/05/04/king-charlescoronation-commonwealth-realms/<br />

<strong>The</strong> Commonwealth website:<br />

https://thecommonwealth.org/<br />

Open Doors World Watch List <strong>2023</strong>:<br />

https://www.opendoorsuk.org/<br />

persecution/world-watch-list/<br />

Head of the Commonwealth on<br />

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/<br />

wiki/Head_of_the_Commonwealth<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>June</strong> <strong>2023</strong> 15<br />

Coronation memories<br />

Claude's<br />

I have been reflecting on my memories<br />

of three Coronations in my lifetime.<br />

From 1937, aged 3 years, I have a remarkable<br />

memory of sitting on a pillar box in Friar<br />

Street for the Coronation of King George VI.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n, in 1953 I remember being<br />

crammed into our living room, with<br />

numerous friends and neighbours, as we<br />

watched Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation<br />

on a 9 inch black and white screen.<br />

This compares with sitting with my<br />

family to watch King Charles III and Queen<br />

Camilla on a colour TV screen 10 times<br />

the size! However, I was disappointed not<br />

to see any notable street decorations, as<br />

there had been in 1953 — and which I had<br />

captured on my Retina camera.<br />

Of course, it was a very different world<br />

then. <strong>The</strong> country was still shaking off the<br />

hardship of World War II and was ready for<br />

a good time. On the other hand, modern<br />

technology makes being part of a national<br />

event so much easier.<br />

1953 decorations: Above: Reading Station,<br />

and right: Heelas (now John Lewis)<br />

Claude's<br />

view<br />

from<br />

the<br />

pew<br />

UK food banks busier than ever!<br />

More food parcels were given out in the UK in the past year than ever before. Last<br />

December an emergency food parcel was handed out every 8 seconds.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se are the most recent figures from the Trussell Trust, which supports more than<br />

1,300 food banks in the UK. <strong>The</strong> charity says it gave out nearly 3 million food<br />

parcels between April 2022 and April <strong>2023</strong>. More than 1 million of these were<br />

for children. Compared with 2021, the charity recorded a 37% increase in the<br />

number of food parcels given out in England.<br />

More than 760,000 people used a food bank for the first time, which is up<br />

more than one third in 2021-22. Soaring inflation and energy costs have driven<br />

the increase in demand. <strong>The</strong> charity<br />

reports an unprecedented rise in<br />

the number of employed people<br />

using their food banks, because they<br />

are 'no longer able to balance a low<br />

income against rising living costs.'<br />

<strong>The</strong> problem now, says the trust,<br />

is that food donation levels are not<br />

keeping up with the need. 'This is<br />

putting us under a lot of strain.'<br />

Just think what an impact we at<br />

St Andrew's Church could make if we<br />

remembered to take just one item<br />

each week for the collection bin!<br />

Please remember<br />

your donations for<br />

the Woodley Food<br />

Bank inside<br />

St Andrew's Church

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!