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St Saviour’s Church has just signed up to the C of E’s Digital Charter. Clare Shearing explains why.

The Church of England’s Digital Charter

Truth, kindness, welcome, inspiration, togetherness, safeguarding … it may seem self-evident that these words should be a framework for good communication in a church. As we all know, technology has many plus sides, allowing our communication to be immediate, interactive, conversational, and spontaneous – to name but a few. But along with these opportunities come potential downsides if we forget to interact in the digital world in the same way as we would with face-to-face contact. To address this tension, the Church of England has drawn up its own digital charter, a voluntary pledge that we can all sign up to – both as individuals and as churches – ‘to help make social media and the web more widely positive places for conversations to happen’. The charter encourages us to be as loving and generous in the digital world as we would be in person, with truth, kindness, welcome, inspiration, togetherness, safeguarding as our touchstones. To find out more and to sign up for yourself, go to churchofengland.org/charter.

Our social media community

As a church, this digital charter underlines the value of the Biblical standards that underpin all our communication, with particular relevance to our social media platforms: Facebook (page and group), Twitter, Instagram. We love to see your reactions and interactions with our posts and events, and hope that the charter will encourage us all to continue to ‘think before we post on social’! Is it true? Is it kind? Is it inspiring? Is it encouraging unity? Is it helpful and safe?

And while we are on the subject of our social media, how would we like our social media community to grow? Are there avenues we should be exploring to show our love and care for our local community? Are there ways we can be encouraging one another more? Do we want less of ‘this’, and more of ‘that’? [*Add your own words!] We can’t please everybody, but we’d love to hear your constructive ideas. And, I’d love some help with taking photos at our various events, activities, and groups – I can’t be everywhere!

So, please get in touch if you have ideas about our social media, or a camera/phone! I’d love to hear from you. You all have so many gifts and insights, and I always pick up interesting ideas and information, so keep it coming! Thank you for your support and encouragement.

‘Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.’ Proverbs 16: 24

Clare Shearing, church communications officer

During one week in September over the course of just under 75 hours, 72 different people aged from 13 years to 90+ years, in a relay system in half hour sections, read the Bible out loud in St Saviour’s Church from beginning to end. Yes – that’s the whole of the Bible, including all the long names, social and religious laws, histories of the Jewish nation, poetic psalms, letters of Paul, narrative of the Gospel stories, and much more.

There were a number of positive consequences that people experienced during this event that all of us may receive benefits.

1. There was an expectation from the readers that God would speak to them through His word. Several people have fed back how their reading was ‘a word for them’ and very often in the most unexpected parts of Scripture. This extended to those who came to listen to the Bible being read and was very encouraging!
2. There was a sense that the Bible presents a united message. This was very much the experience of individuals who read at different times in the week rather than just on one occasion. This may encourage you to read parts of Scripture that you haven’t read before rather than to always read favourite and familiar books.
3. People experienced, sometimes for the first time, reading a complete story or maybe even a whole book during a half hour slot rather than just a few verses that are read to us at church each week. As one person commented, ‘We happily read a newspaper or a novel for half an hour or more at a time. Why don’t we find time in our day to read the Bible for half an hour or so?’ And, there is something special about reading out loud!  Hearing the reading, even if this is from our own mouths, is a different experience to reading the Bible to ourselves.

I hope that this enables all us to have confidence that God speaks to us through the Bible and encourages us to read the Bible regularly through the week.

God bless

Andy McPherson, vicar

‘If someone asked you ‘How is your prayer life?’, and you answered honestly, how would you describe it?

Uplifting? Exciting? Boring? Taxing? Regular? Hit-or-miss? Non-existent?

We all know that prayer is an essential part of Christian life. We can all say too that some times we find it easy and rewarding, and others we struggle with it in all sort of ways. No matter how old we are in years or in faith, none of us has completely ‘nailed it’ yet!

Improve your prayer life at Radical peace: a prayer workshop on Saturday 16 November.

Radical means getting back to the root, the basics; but it also means being willing to make a significant and crucial change for the better. We will take the morning to look at how we can have a better prayer life, and to find the peace of God in it. We will have some teaching around prayer ‘giants’, past and present, and have a go at a variety of practical exercises to refresh and expand our experience.

We’ll start at 9.30am on Saturday 16 November, and finish by 11.45am. Coffee will be served at 9am and we will also break for refreshments mid-morning. Anyone who wishes to stay on for a bit at the end for further personal prayer, or to receive prayer ministry, may do so.

Everyone aged 14 (Year 10) and over is welcome! This is a wonderful opportunity for groups and teams (e.g. home groups, Core, the Welcome Team, etc.) to come together for fellowship and growth. Individuals are, of course, no less welcome! This is a free event. To assist us in our preparations, registration will be via Eventbrite or you can sign up in the Link. Feel free to contact me at discipleship@stsaviours.net.

Laura Simpkins, discipleship coordinator

Pat Smart encourages some cheerful giving as she brings us a round-up of St Saviour’s financial news

Earlier this year we launched an appeal for Fabric Funds as we need to replace our church doors (we have done one) and redecorate the church. So, we have been holding various fundraising events over the last few months and we have more in the pipeline – the next one is the Light-hearted Quiz Night at 7pm on Saturday 21 September, being run by that comic duo the Bendell Boys, which we hope will be well supported and enjoyed by you – they are usually so much fun!! (Please do bring your own drinks and glasses.)

On a more serious note we do need more people to sign up for regular giving as we are struggling as a church to pay our way, especially meeting our Parish Share contribution (that’s the funds that pay for our ministers, housing, pensions, etc.)

As a church we are very active and busy. Just look at all the events that are re-starting after the summer break. All our clubs and events need funding, so if your child attends any of these, do think about whether you would like to donate to a particular event. Not just money, but our time too – all the clubs need extra helpers. Not helped before? Then have a word with Caz Gatehouse – she will be glad to speak to you and give you more info.

You can give on a regular basis by standing order, by using the yellow or blue envelopes, or better still by the Parish Giving Scheme. Not given before? Or wish to increase? Then have a word with me Pat Smart, or the churchwardens – we are always happy to speak to you.

Last year we held a successful Gift Day and we propose to hold one again later this autumn. Please start to consider what you might be able to gift and keep a look out for further details.

‘Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7

God bless you in your giving.

Pat Smart, treasurer

Phil Smith encourages us all to sing to the Lord from our hearts

I have met so many people over the years who are fearful or reluctant to sing, or who have not done so for many years due to a negative, critical opinion imposed on them in the past about their singing voice. This is a tragedy, not only because many of whom I have since heard actually have very lovely singing voices, but also in light of one of the main reasons we were created.

The psalmist sings, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139 verses 13-14). In their book entitled Sing!, Keith and Kristyn Getty say, “Singing is not merely a happy by-product of God’s real intent of making us creatures who can speak. It is something we’re designed to be able to do.”

The reality is that we can all sing – perhaps not as in tune as we would each like or in the same tone and clarity as our favourite artiste, but the physical mechanics for us to do so have been knit together within us and the “knitter” is longing to hear and treasure the sound raised in worship to Him. Who among you does not cherish the sound of your child/grandchild/niece/nephew when they let out a little song, irrespective of actual pitch and tonality? How much more does our Father love to hear our songs?

By contrast to timid/reluctant singing during my student days in Bristol, I attended a church that, on one particular evening, was being recorded during the singing to be featured on Songs of Praise. I remember to this day having left the service feeling slightly sickened with the stark observation that the enthusiasm of the singing and volume of attendance was far in excess compared with every other service that I had attended there. Why did the congregation make more effort for the BBC than they normally do for their heavenly Father?

So, please can I encourage you, when we come to times of singing together, let’s remember who we’re worshipping and why, and raise our voices for His glory and pleasure alone. Let us forever “Sing and make music from [our hearts] to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5 verses 19b-20)

Phil Smith, worship team leader