The Parish Magazine December 2024

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14 The Parish Magazine — December 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to advertisements BLA6310 YOU Ad Rea Sonning Mag 90x126mm AW.pdf 1 22/04/2024 10:39 Your family Your home Your wealth Your employment Your land & property Your business For all your legal needs, in life & business, we are here for you. Reading | Henley-on-Thames | Wokingham | London 0118 951 6800 www.blandy.co.uk WATER SOFTENERS WATER SOFTENER REPAIRS [ALL MAKES] NO CALL-OUT CHARGE CAN FULLY RECONDITION WITH GUARANTEE NEW SOFTENERS SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED 10 YEARS GUARANTEE Email: info@amsmayfair.co.uk Tel: 0125 676 8171 0783 624 7694 ‘A happy, high-energy school’ ~ The Good Schools Guide An Independent Day School for Students Aged 11-18 rbcs.org.uk Watch 24 hours service | Private client parking | Private chapel of rest Free home visits | Pre-paid funeral plans | Full written estimate Woodland funerals | Religious and non-religious services Tel: 01491 573370 www.tomalins.co.uk office@tomalins.co.uk Anderson House, 38 Reading Road, Henley-On-Thames, RG9 1AG A Family Run Independent Funeral Service 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 14 13/11/2024 10:15:03
parish noticeboard — 6 Nothing is impossible for God . . . The Parish Magazine — December 2024 15 THE PERSECUTED CHURCH BY COLIN BAILEY A market in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, Africa. In Africa the market is more then a place where people buy and sell something, it is the centre of African life. Lucavanzolini, dreamstime.com Aid and advocacy agencies joined together to highlight the issue of the persecuted church for an international day of prayer on the first Sunday of November. You can watch the video via the link in the references below. The Evangelical Alliance (EA) hosted the meeting and there were films, discussion, and prayer from CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide), Open Doors, and Release International on the situations in North Korea, Burkina Faso and Egypt respectively. STRONG MESSAGE In North Korea, any religion is viewed as a threat to the regime’s ideology, and we heard of the forced disappearances that take place. A strong message was that the persecuted are the ones that are going to be teaching the rest of us and not the other way around. One prayer for this country is that China would stop illegally repatriating North Korean refugees, returning them to certain danger. FAMILY PERSECUTION Egypt is the 13th most populous country in the world with 115 million people. A film told of persecution largely from family members in the case of people who have left Islam to follow Christ. Please pray for Muslim-background believers who are suffering because of their faith in Christ and pray for God’s protection over Christians who are illtreated by their own families. Burkina Faso has this year topped the global terrorism index. Last year 2,000 people were killed by terrorists in Burkina Faso, an increase of twothirds on the previous year. The country jumped into Open Doors’ Top 50 of most persecuted countries for Christians (the World Watch List) in 2020 at number 28, which is quite exceptional, as usually countries joining that list climb up it gradually. RAPID SPREAD Open Doors is seeing an incredibly rapid spread and intensity of terrorism across the country. In Africa 16.2 million Christians are internally displaced due to violence and conflict. However the world is not talking about it! The Arise Africa campaign calls for awareness to be raised, and justice, restoration, and protection for these people. (This campaign petition may be signed at the back of St Andrew's Church). We should listen to the persecuted and find out what their needs are. Someone asked about how to get your voice heard at the political level: the guidance is to engage with your MP regarding what matters to you. SPECIAL ENVOY In the UK Government, there is a 'Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief'. This post was previously held by former MP Fiona Bruce (not the TV presenter) who lost her seat at the last election. Currently, the post is vacant. It would be worth writing to your MP to encourage the Prime Minister to make this appointment. The role serves to keep the government aware of issues around the persecution of Christians. When writing, tell them you pray for them and ask how you can pray for them. The strong messages from the Evangelical Alliance meeting were: 'Nothing is impossible for God'. 'Be an evangelist for the persecuted church!' EA shared some prayers from the Iona Community’s 'Liturgy for healing for an international situation': Lord Jesus, we place before you the suffering places of the world, places of war, of famine, of disasters, of darkness. Guide us in how best to respond, through the giving of our time, action, and finance. Give us the courage to challenge, inform and engage those who walk in the corridors of power, in our land and the lands for which we pray. We give thanks for the countless unknown witnesses who have served you in the darkest situations. Jesus Christ, who ate with the wealthy and provided food to the poor, enter all nations and bring justice, and peace. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. AMEN References and further reading IDOP Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/Q2GwZ05 mHs8?si=axsrsS4BluUaZDXm Open Doors: What is the Arise Africa campaign?: https://www.opendoorsuk. org/news/latest-news/arise-africaexplainer/ 135 DECEMBER 2O24.indd 15 13/11/2024 10:15:05
Page 1 and 2: The Parish Magazine Magazine Parish
Page 3 and 4: Serving the communities of Charvil,
Page 5 and 6: The Parish Magazine — December 20
Page 7 and 8: the parish noticeboard — 1 Advent
Page 9 and 10: Lights shining in the dark! Corinne
Page 11 and 12: the parish noticeboard — 4 SHARIN
Page 13: parish noticeboard — 5 Father who
Page 17 and 18: feature — 1 Three Christmas quest
Page 19 and 20: feature — 2 Christmas pudding and
Page 21 and 22: feature — 4 At the beginning of t
Page 23 and 24: CHILDREN'S is welcome to we celebra
Page 25 and 26: around the villages — 1 arounD th
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Page 29 and 30: HOME AND Garden — 2 Robin facts a
Page 31 and 32: THE SCIENCES The Parish Magazine
Page 33 and 34: CHRISTMAS christmas quiz David Pick
Page 35 and 36: THE ARTS — 1 Rev Michael Burgess
Page 37 and 38: THE ARTS — 2 Book Reviews — 2 D
Page 39 and 40: PUZZLE PAGE — 2 CROSSWORD 1 2 3 4
Page 41 and 42: CHILDREN'S PAGE The Parish Magazine
Page 43 and 44: Please mention The Parish Magazine

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