News Archive
October 2007
Life Courses
To hear an outline of the HBC's Life Courses taking place at Jesmond's Caledonian Hotel, click here.
Precious Cargo
When singer/songwriter Paul Field docks his dramatic anti-slavery play
in Newcastle this Friday, it will have special resonance in a region
that offered so much support and safe haven to abolitionists.
While much of the wealth of British cities such as Liverpool and
Bristol was founded on the profits of the slave trade, Tyneside played
a significant part in its abolition. Fugitive slaves and American
abolitionists regularly visited Tyneside to speak at meetings held by
the Gateshead and Newcastle Anti-Slavery Society.
It moved abolitionist William Wells Brown to write that "In no place in
the United Kingdom has the American Slave warmer friends than in
Newcastle." » more
Lighting the Fuse
There is going to be an event for ALL Christian students in Newcastle, organised by both Northumbria and Newcastle Christian Unions. It's called "Fuse", and throughout the night there will be worship led by a joint Newcastle-Northumbria band, a talk by Duncan Moore and prayer - a great opportunity for students to get together at the start of term and be reminded how amazing God is and what He has called us to do. It's going to be an amazing night, let’s be part of God's plan for Newcastle!
It takes place on Saturday, October 20th from 5-7pm at Venue 2, Northumbria campus
Happy birthday Elsie
Some of us went to a birthday party this weekend - a 95th birthday party. But when one of us asked Elsie Stewart to divulge the secret of living to such a grand old age, she shook her head and said, "God doesn't want to take me home yet. There must still be something he wants me to do."
Elsie's reply made me think two things. While I'm often guilty of worrying about "my" life, "my" career, "my" family etc, the reality is that these are not "my" things to worry about. It's all about God, not me. And that's a relief.
And secondly, there's no such thing as a scrap heap in the kingdom. God has work for us to do, whether we're 5 or 95. And when he doesn't, he'll just bring us home.
Book of the week
I've just finished reading Clay by David Almond (Hodder Children's Books, 2005). This is another gem by an award-winning author. Although it's aimed at the young adult market, it's one of Almond's most adult books and, like Pulman's Dark Materials, is sure to find a crossover market. Like Dark Materials, Clay grapples with issues of faith and the nature of God. It's about two teenagers - a boy cast out of a seminary for practicing evil arts and an impressionable altar boy. Together the boys create a monster out of clay but the question is, which of the boys is its master. The story follows the dark descent of the altar boy into a twilight world of insanity and murder as he tries to retain his goodness and humanity. It questions our relationship to God and His relationship to the world. While it is far from evangelical in its outlook, good triumphs over evil and, unlike in the Dark Materials trilogy, God is given His rightful place. Almond's spartan text allows for no distraction from the central action. His characterisation is carried mainly through dialogue in an accessible rendition of a Geordie dialect. It's an incredible book that I fully reccommend.
New Lifegroup notes - it's the truth!
Download the latest notes for lifegroups, on the topic of truth, by clicking here.
This week's prayer letter
This week we pray for Joan & Stan Hamilton, Tim Hardy, Iwan &
Jo Harries, Sean & Jen Harris, Bill & Maureen Hayton, Grace
Herron and Gill Hewitson. (If your name is not in the church address book but you would like to be prayed for in this prayer list, please contact Jenny Steiner).
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