Festival fun on the Vale

There’s so much to do all afternoon on September 10th.

Food will be priced at £1 for a burger and soft drink, and you can sit and eat this whilst listening to some beautiful saxophone music or the community choir, after you’ve had a go at the games, found your street in the photographs from the 1930s, and taken part in the all age craft.

It’s a mini festival on your doorstep!

Newsletter July 20th 2022

person standing in front of fire

I’ve found the prophecy of Daniel encouraging over the last few Sundays.

Starting as an exiled teenager in Babylon, in a culture where God had been air brushed out of the picture, he served with faithfulness and distinction into his old age.

In chapter 12, we see how God gave Daniel the wisdom to keep going:
12:1 Daniel expected ‘a time of distress’ and was not surprised when it came, when, for example, he was falsely accused and thrown into a den of lions.

12:1 he trusted that ‘God’s people would be delivered’.  He knew that the Lord could save him from the lions; but even if He didn’t, Daniel knew that the Lord would deliver him ultimately. 

It was his eternal hope that led him to:
12:2 fear God not people, because it is the Lord who ‘raised some to everlasting life, and who condemned others to shame and everlasting contempt. 

It was because of this, that:
12:3 he took these trials as opportunities to ‘lead many to righteousness.’ He spoke about the certain hope of everlasting life he had.

We may conclude that:
12:13 throughout his life he kept his eyes on the future, confident that ‘at the end of the days he would rise to receive his allotted inheritance.’

When we face the fiery trials of life, let’s pray for the wisdom to bear them as Daniel – with our eyes fixed on the future. The more we do, the more we’ll live this life with faithful distinction, as he did.
 
Every blessing in Christ,

Ian

90th Anniversary Celebration – September 10th
2-5pm
The poster is outside the church,
the choir has started rehearsing, 
the ‘taster sessions’ and live music acts are warming up,
the afternoon just needs…
YOU!

It’s back!
The 9am Service 
3rd September 
The Vestry

As part of the 90th Anniversary Celebration, Lynn& Ian are collecting photographs and memories of the Holy Redeemer and the Vale for a display and for … a film. 
Do you have photos of people, the area, or the church building that you could let us take a look at? We can scan in the photos and print them out,
so we don’t have to have the originals on display. 
Do you have a special memory that you’d like to share
and possibly have recorded? 

And a prayer that we can all be praying together: 

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,

without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:

Increase and multiply upon us your mercy;

that, with you as our ruler and guide,

we may so pass through things temporal,

that we lose not the things eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

Newsletter 22nd June 2022

This year the Church family is 95 and the Church building is 90.

People first started meeting as the Church of the Holy Redeemer in 1927, in the Church Hall, and the present Church building was built in 1932.

The buildings are important, but the people who make up HRS are more important.

Peter’s first letter says (1 Peter 2:5): ‘… you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood …’

And he goes on to say (1 Peter 2:6) that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone, around which we, individual Christians are being built to become the temple and the priests of the Lord.

We Christians, are now the temple, the place where people can meet with the living God; and we are now the priests, the people who pray and proclaim the sacrifice Christ Jesus made for anyone who comes to God to be reconciled to Him.

It’s wonderful to think that God has been building people together into His Church at HRS for the last 95 years.

This September we’re celebrating these things, along with the faithful service of Margaret Andrews, Shirley Wallace and others, who have been priests in the Lord’s temple at HRS for many decades. 

So, please put Saturday the 10th of September in your diaries to celebrate these things as a church family. It’s also a time to celebrate alongside many other groups and people from the wider community. For the past 90 years, HRS has been for some a landmark in the Vale and for others, a focal point in the community. 

Your brother in Christ,
Ian

Living stones, all different shapes but all fitting together

10th September

90th Anniversary Celebration – September 10th
Plans are taking shape for our church and community celebration on the afternoon of September 10th. 
Ruth and her team are looking for volunteers so that the day of feasting, singing, games, activities from and for the young, and the older and wiser, will all go smoothly.


There are roles for people who want to talk to everyone, and roles for people who want to be behind the scenes helping.
Can you BBQ a burger? Serve a coffee? String up bunting? 
Do you know anyone who would be able to perform some live music who lives in the Vale, or is connected to the Vale? 
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, or you have more to suggest, please speak to Ruth, or email her this week! 

Confirmation service and bring and share lunch

On Sunday 3rd July we are having a bring and share lunch after the confirmation service for Kyra and Anna.
Please let Ruth or Shirley know what you plan to bring along to the meal.  

To help us generate less waste, would you be able to bring a travel mug / reusable coffee cup to church each Sunday?
If you can, it will save us throwing away cups.
We are not really able to wash up mugs easily at the moment, so every reusable cup you bring along will help us care for the planet (and save a bit of money). 
If you forget, we’ll still provide you with a drink!

Single? Married? Once married? Never married?
Married for years? Married for months?
Would you be interested in learning more about singleness and marriage? Discussing the ups and downs of all the different relationships we find ourselves in through life?
The pros and the cons of each state? 
Would a short course be helpful? A Saturday mini conference?
A one off study? 
Talk to Ian with your thoughts, and look out for the preference form where you can say what times and places would work best for you so that as a church family we can think through these important issues in small groups, couples, or….what do you think?  

September 10th Holy Redeemer 90 year Jubilee

On Saturday September 10th the church is holding a Jubilee anniversary of its own.
The community choir are going to sing, there will be family games, a display on the history and the future of the church, a sing along session for parents and under 5s, BBQ, cakes and live music. More to follow.
For now, save the date, and get ready to celebrate 90 years of Holy Redeemer in Streatham Vale.

Friday Football

Friday Football is back and meeting on the Common from 5.30-6.30 pm from Easter to October.

It happens every Friday that school is on. So no football during school holidays.

It’s for anyone in year 6 and at secondary school.

At half time there’s a short talk based on a part of the bible to encourage everyone to think about Jesus.

Why not join Friday Alive back at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall after football? It starts at 7 pm.

It’s just a 10 minute walk from the Common down Streatham Vale.

Newsletter May 12th

One of the greatest privileges of being a Christian is knowing God our almighty creator as Dad. It is the privilege of being able to pray. To come to the Holy One on the throne of the universe any time of the day or night, knowing we’ll find grace and mercy to help us.

When his disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He (Jesus) said to them, ‘when you pray say: Father …’” Luke 11:2

The wonder of this comes home when we realise that it is only Christians who can pray like this. If you’re reading this and you’re not ‘in Christ’ you can’t pray like this. You can recite prayers; you can chant; you can repeat mantras; you can light candles, you can spin prayer wheels, you can wish for things … but you can’t pray to God as Father without following Christ as Lord.

So, if you’re reading this and you are ‘in Christ’ God has chosen you to be one of His ambassadors. Pray to be able to use your privilege well. Not just to pray for your own needs but for the needs of others … and their greatest need is to come to Christ.

That is what ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ is all about: Christians praying for 5 friends each to discover who Jesus is.

Between Ascension day, 26th May, and Pentecost, 5th June, the challenge is to pray for the five people the Lord puts on our hearts.

When you’ve read this, why not get a bit of paper and jot down the names of the five people you see most regularly. They could be friends, family, colleagues or neighbours. And ask for the Lord’s help to pray for them over the 11 days of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative.

Your brother in Christ,
Ian

Follow the link, or copy and paste into your browser, for more information on ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.

https://www.thykingdomcome.global/resources/story-thy-kingdom-come-so-far?utm_source=Holy+Redeemer+Church&utm_campaign=b5c1cd50a7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_01_08_52_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67ad56bc29-b5c1cd50a7-355907804&mc_cid=b5c1cd50a7&mc_eid=81a933f874

Newsletter 13th April 2022

The message of Jesus’ resurrection is: “Jesus is Lord!”

Because Jesus has overcome death, He’s the boss … because no one else has done that!

Shortly after the resurrection, Peter stood up in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus had recently been crucified, and proclaimed, “This Jesus whom you killed, God has raised. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Paul specifically connects the resurrection of Jesus with his role as judge of mankind at the end of the age. He says, in Acts 17:31, ‘God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.’

Jesus’ judgement is necessary for heaven to be heaven. Disobedience spoils heaven. If we choose to be rebels, God will respect that choice. But it will leave us, by our own choice, in the realm of darkness that Jesus, in the Bible, calls Hell.

The resurrection is great news for those who live with Jesus as boss, and terrible news for those who don’t.

Since Jesus’ resurrection, God’s invitation to mankind is, “end your rebellion and make Jesus King in your life!”

And his promise to all who do is, ‘’you’ll receive a full pardon and eternal life.”

Jesus’ friend Peter tells us, “in his great mercy God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade.”

May we be those who rejoice in this hope and share it with those who are yet without God and without hope in the world.

Best wishes for a joyful Easter. 
Ian

Newsletter 30th March

The Easter holiday is longer than usual and a great opportunity to follow Mary’s example in Luke 10:42.

Jesus has come to stay at Mary and Martha’s home; Martha is preoccupied with hospitality, and that’s great. Jesus turns to Mary, who is listening to his teaching, and commends her for doing:

‘The one thing that is necessary.’

She sat at Jesus’ feet, and listened to His teaching. She took the position of the disciple with her master. Paul tells us in Acts 22:3 that he ‘sat at Gamaliel’s feet.’ That’s what it is to be a disciple. The word means one who learns.  

In those days women weren’t encouraged to learn like this. But Jesus is not conventional. He wasn’t bound by other’s expectations. He sat at God’s feet, and did what God wanted, not what the people around him expected.

He was willing and glad to teach Mary. And he is willing and glad to teach each of us. None of us is too small to be important to Him. None of us is too wise not to need His teaching. The question is, are we planning in time to sit at Jesus’ feet to be taught?

If you are, do you stop to thank God? That’s a sure sign that He’s at work. Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to make us hungry for His teaching. Plan when you’re going to sit at his feet: why not decide now to put aside the first 15 or 20 minutes of the day to sit at His feet and be a Mary, before attending to all the other demands on our time.

Your brother in Christ, 
Ian

Newsletter 16th March 2022

On Sunday 20th, this coming Sunday, we have the opportunity for the church family of Holy Redeemer to meet together to discuss the important work of the church at the AGM of the PCC. It will take place immediately after the end of the church service. 

Please pray for the leaders of our church: the vicar, the warden, and the PCC members as they seek to lead the church well and conduct the business of the church in a way that will bring glory to God. 

Also, please do come along to the bible study on Wednesday evenings in the vestry at 8pm as we continue looking at Jonah.

Your brother in Christ, 
Ian

All the believers were one in heart and mind. Act 4 v 32

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