Malcolm and Ruth Lambert in Belize

Our friends and USPG mission partners Ruth and Malcolm Lambert have arrived safely in Belize.

Malcolm has begun his work in ministerial training and the development of theological education programmes for clergy and lay people.

This week Ruth was instituted to her churches in the administrative capital city of Belmopan.

There's obviously a lot of adjusting to do, with a new culture, language and a very different climate to get used to. It's great to be able to keep up with Malcolm and Ruth through Facebook and their blog: www.the-lamberts.org. They're in our prayers and we wish them a happy and fruitful time in the next three years.

Quiz night with fish and chip supper - 9 May 2008

Paul is organising another of our legendary quiz nights, so brush up on your general knowledge and prepare to enjoy yourselves in church on Friday 9 May 7.00pm. Come as a team of four, or join others to make a team on the night. Bring your own refreshments. Cost £7.00. Tickets from Paul and Teri.

Breakfast at Barney's - 13 April 2008

This Sunday, come along early for a filling cooked English or lighter continental breakfast.

Breakfast is served from 8.30 to 9.30am. Book a place, or get more details from Anita.

Photo by r3wind at Flickr

Licensing of Revd Paskal Clement

Following our earlier announcement, the date of the licensing service has now been set. The service for Paskal's licensing will be on 4 May 2008 at 6.30pm at St Peter's Church, Oadby.

New minister for Oadby Baptist Church

Our friends at OBC have appointed Ellen Price as their new minister.

In The Link, moderator Tim Ferguson expresses his delight that the church called Ellen to the position and that she accepted. It will be several months before she is inducted and at present she is completing her studies at Spurgeon's College. We look forward to welcoming Ellen, her husband Steve, and their children Edward, Rachel and Emma, to Oadby.

Magnify 08

 

St Luke's Church Youth Band are hosting Magnify 08. Taking place on Saturday 26th April 2008 at St Luke's School Hall in Thurnby the worship event will feature the Youth Worship Band, Talks, Video, Drama, Response Zones and much more. The event is FREE with refreshments available. ALL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE WELCOME.
For further information contact St Luke's Youth Worker, Ali Goodman on 07967 562922 or email youth@thurnbychurch.com

Helping the Police with their enquiries

I've just returned from a fascinating appointment with 36 new recruits to Leicestershire Constabulary.

The session was part of a full day of training, organised and delivered by The St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society, under the expert leadership of Dr Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi.

I was a member of a panel of three faith representatives, who responded to questions from the recruits on issues of belief, ethics, respect and crime. It was a pleasure and privilege to join Smita Shah, a Jain, and Tove Delenius, a Muslim.

The aim of the day was to give the participants a basic outline of the main faiths that they are likely to encounter in the course of their work. The programme included much more than our "faiths panel": lectures on World Religions, Faiths in Leicestershire, a tour and lunch at the Guru Teg Bahdur Gurdwara, an introduction to Islam and case work on policing-related issues.

I was impressed by the maturity and depth of sensitivity in the recruits' questions, which is encouraging for the future of policing in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Pennbury decision announced

The government today announced which of the candidate eco-towns is to be short-listed for development.

The news came through that Pennbury has been approved for the next round of consultation.

"Pennbury" is the working name given to the plans by the Co-operative Group for the development of land between Oadby, Stoughton, Houghton and Great Glen, including the site of Leicester Airport.

There are fifteen eco-town proposals on the shortlist and a new round of planning consultations now begins. It's expected that between five and ten of these will get the final go ahead for construction.

On the BBC website, the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint, said the new towns would help to tackle climate change, as well as providing affordable new housing. She said, "Eco-towns can be 'green' settlements which recognise that climate change is destroying our planet - this is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to miss. Bidders will have to meet the highest standards for sustainability, affordability and creativity. This expert panel will challenge developers to the limits."

The Pennbury proposals have provoked a lot of opposition locally and it's likely that this announcement will generate  a lot more. There are serious local concerns about what will be lost, including a large area of green land on the edge of Leicester. And there are substantial worries about the impact on the already-busy A6. But the real issues will be in the detail. It may be possible that much-needed affordable homes can be built in a sustainable way, without some of the feared congestion on the county's roads. We shall have to see what these plans contain before rushing to judgement.

The Christian tradition is certainly aware of the importance of "quality of life issues" and of conservation of the environment. At this stage it may seem that any proposal to build threatens these. But when we consider the quality of life of those who are unable to find a home, and the potential for imaginative ecologically-sensitive neighbourhoods, it is conceivable that Pennbury could be a positive benefit.

We should also remember that many of those who live in Oadby, including myself, live in homes built on green fields in the last forty years. We should be careful not to live by one standard ourselves and to ask others to live by another.

The next stage of consultation provides an opportunity for all residents and the churches and other community organisations, to examine the plans in detail and to make comment.

More information here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7327717.stm

The bell is found!

Thanks to all the good sports who appreciated the April Fool's post. Several were fooled but some of you got it straight away.

There were three clues:

• the bell had disappeared from the photograph on the spoof article, but not from the reflection in the windows. See? aaahh...
• The alleged inscription - L'oo f lirpa  - is nonsense. Unless you spell it backwards...
• The reference to Proverbs 12.23 is completely accurate. Those of you who looked it up found, "...the mind of a fool broadcasts folly". That's me, then.

To spare anyone's blushes, I'm not publishing the kind comments on the blog which expressed concern at our loss.  You're lovely people and much more caring than your cruel vicar, who promises not to mislead you for at least another 365 days.

Our bell - gone!

I heard some strange noises in the night but didn't fully realise what had happened until I went across to our church this morning.

The bell's been pinched!

I just wouldn't have thought anyone would go to all the trouble but on reflection, there have been a number of thefts of lead and precious metal from churches in the area. So I doubt it's connected to the recent vandalism that we've suffered.

The bell was installed when St Paul's was built in 1982 and in recent years we've rung it again before our ten o'clock service. We'll certainly miss it. Please do keep your eyes open if you're in the area.

The bell was made by Taylor's of Loughborough and, as usual with their bells, it bears a unique Latin inscription: L'oo f lirpa - a translation from Proverbs 12.23.

Update: now the afternoon's arrived, all has become a lot clearer. See here for details.