Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

On February 12th 1993, two 10 year old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thomson, abducted two-year-old James Bulger from under his mother’s nose in a shopping centre in Bootle. They took the toddler to a railway line near Walton and brutally murdered him, leaving the entire nation in shock at such an horrific crime being performed by two young lads. Venables and Thompson were later released with false identities so that they could re-integrate with society. Some weeks back, Venable was re-arrested on suspicion of downloading child-pornography. But, just this week, we hear rumours that Venables has “found religion”. This news has sparked a wave of reaction from people inside and outside of the church about the validity of his so-called conversion.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

It was a beautiful summer’s day and the lure of a bike ride was irresistible. So off we scampered through the nearby estate and along the canal banks until mid-morning – or to put it another way – ‘coffee time’. Yes, we stumbled across a Starbucks and rested our legs for a short interval. We read one of their brochures which described the choices confronting you when you enter their premises. Coffees in all shapes and sizes with skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole or soy milk. Macchiato, espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte – you name it they provide it. The brochure made the proud boast that Starbuck provide a staggering ‘86,000 different drink combinations – all customised to your own individual needs’.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As we come to that time of the year when the thought of holidays take priority over the normal routine of daily life and Ministers prepare to move to new churches and circuits, it made me reflect on how different life is today compared with just twenty or so years ago. Nick Clegg was reported as saying that voting patterns in the UK will be radically different from now on as some in his party are asking, ‘What’s the point of voting Lib-Dem?’ I attended the leaving ceremony for Graham Horsley and Derrick Norton at Methodist Church House this last week and felt a strong sense of a new era dawning in the realm of evangelism in Methodism as these two long-standing and highly valued servants of the Church move on. Wes Blakey, chair of the Nottingham & Derby district says goodbye at his leaving service tomorrow. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

The year 1617 was the centenary of the Protestant Reformation in Germany. At that time, hostilities between Catholics and Protestants were at their height and in 1633 they led to the 30 Years War when a Protestant backlash by Bohemian Nobles in Prague caused the death of two ministers and private secretary of the Catholic Emperor when they were flung out of a fortress window.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

At last week’s Regional Gathering on Mission and Evangelism, we were privileged to welcome Rev. Dr. Phil Meadows as our guest speaker. Phil is the lecturer in Missiology and Wesleyan Studies at Cliff College and is also the director of the new Inspire Network. The morning was devoted to a presentation by Phil on the purpose of this new network which is working in partnership with the Methodist Church, Methodist Evangelicals Together (MET) and Cliff College.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Tony Hayward is a name which was formerly unknown to most British people until he recently caused Barak Obama to see red. He is the Chief Executive of BP and is at the centre of the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico as BP work frantically to stop the leakage from the damaged oil well. Sadly, under pressure from the circumstances he found himself in, Hayward made statements like, "the Gulf is a very big ocean", implying the spillage would not have a major impact. He also said, "I want my life back" meaning he wanted the crisis sorted so that he could return to a normal lifestyle. The US President, who lives under constant and immense pressure, was not impressed. When all of this has been sorted we will probably find out what caused the explosion (if it's not already known) and will discover that the blame does not rest on one man's shoulders.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

My latest excursion into Alpha courses has taken me into the realm of running what Holy Trinity Brompton have called SENIOR ALPHA. It is an Alpha Course aimed at retired people and we are over half way through the course now at Trinity Methodist Church in Kirkby in Ashfield. We have a team of around half a dozen leaders, some of whom have led talks whilst others have coordinated food or led table discussions.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Once again, Nicky Campbell on his Big Questions programme on BBC1 on Sunday morning (10am) touched upon some excellent theological issues, one of which was our understanding of original sin. Bishop Desmond Tutu has recently released a book, Made for Goodness, in which he states that all people are born perfect, thus disagreeing with the doctrine of original sin. I must say I have not yet read the book and will simply focus on the debate on BBC1 where Jonathan Bartley, director of the Christian think-tank, Ekklesia, said the doctrine of original sin has poorly explained by the church over the generations and he would endorse the doctrine of original goodness too. He even apologised for the Church’s mishandling of the issue.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

We have just returned from ECG (Equipping, Calling, Going) which took place at Llandudno’s Venue Cymru in the week after Easter (6th – 11th April). Having attended Easter People in the past, this is our first visit to ECG which has continued in a similar style since the late Rob Frost felt it was right to ‘lay down’ Easter People. The event has been organised by Rev. Ashley Cooper, Rev. Steve Lindridge and others on the management team (alongside their responsibilities within the Methodist Church).

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As always, Easter has illuminated the gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus in a new way. This year, however, what struck me most about the resurrection was the place of ‘doubt and uncertainty’ in the hearts and minds of the followers of Jesus. A close inspection of the narratives shows that these two words overlay practically every encounter with the risen Lord without exception.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

I walked home from church yesterday with an air of anticipation as I wanted to watch my recording of ‘The Big Questions’ hosted by Nicky Campbell, probably better known for his appearances on Watchdog. The programme features three questions which are debated by a selected studio audience and a panel of three better known guests which yesterday included Lord Steel, former leader of the Liberal Party and son of a Church of Scotland Minister and former Moderator. The question I was particularly interested in was, ‘Does the Devil Exist?’

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Over 500 people attended the recent Fresh Expressions Conference at Lincoln Show Ground entitled ‘Changing the Landscape’. The conference was addressed by Archbishop Rowan Williams, Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins, Bishop Graham Cray and many other leading supporters of the Fresh Expressions movement which is now into its second phase. What was particularly encouraging after nearly 6 years of the Fresh Expressions movement is that the leading figures in the Church of England, Methodist Church and now the URC are all still firmly behind the initiative.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As the British and American troops embark upon the latest phase in the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan, we are receiving all too frequent reports of soldiers being killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) or Roadside Bombs. We see the sombre scene in Wootton Bassett as the coffins are paraded through the streets watched by local residents, family and friends as they pay their respects to the deceased soldiers. There seems to be no end to the loss of life and, seemingly, no simple way of dealing with IEDs without endangering the lives of our troops.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

I fished out my recording of the inauguration of Barack Obama from exactly one year ago today. I watched again as the millions of people gathered outside the White House shared emotionally in the historic moment when an African-American man was chosen to be the most powerful person on the planet. Many had tears in their eyes and sensed that they were witnessing a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment. This was a moment that Martin Luther King could only dream about.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

The news has finally filtered through that Wesley Owen, the Christian bookshop in the centre of Nottingham has closed its doors for the last time after 25 years of trading. I noticed how much it downsized when it moved from Heathcoat Street to its new premises on Castle Gate and with its parent company, IBS-STL in administration, it was only a matter of time for this cherished store to meet its end. Should we be sad? Do we need a shop which specialises only in Christian literature? Should we be trying to save the enterprise when there are so many pressing demands on our time and finances?

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

This bulletin has been re-posted by popular demand.

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