Moments of Inspiration Jehovah NissiWhen the clouds hung dark o'er Israel, and the fierce Philistine host, Breathing threats and slaughter, sought her undefended coast.Then how precious to the faithful this eternal truth they knew, There is no restraint to God to save by many or by few!" When Benadad compasses Aphek, and the followers of the Lord, Like two little flocks of kids, stood pent within that heathen horde;When at morn the blood of Syrians moistened all the plain like dew, " There was no restraint to God to save by many or by few". This poem was written about the battle against Amalek. It went on all day. Moses went upon the hill overlooking the battle. When Moses lifted up his arms the battle went Israel’s way but when his arms fell the battle went the other way. So, Aaron and Hur kept up the arms of Moses till the going down of the sun and Israel prevailed against Amalek. After the victory Moses built an alter to the Lord and called it Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is our banner), and the Lord swore he would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exodus 17 vs 8: 16. The story and short history of Rahab I think that most of us are familiar with the story of Rahab. How she was a prostitute and a Gentile, living in Jericho. Joshua sent out men to spy out the land. Rahab protected and hid them, and she knew that God would give the victory to Israel. In return she asked for the safety of her family. Which was granted. She lowered the spies from a window in the wall and sent pursuers on a false trail. Not so well known is that she believed in God and converted to Judaism and married Salmon, they had a son named Boaz who married Ruth they bore Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse was the father of King David. In Matthew’s Gospel, Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. This shows that God can use individuals from various and sinful backgrounds and circumstances to play important roles in his larger plan. Rahab’s story is one of redemption and trust.
The St. Paul’s Artists in Residence scheme continues to go from strength to strength. For the first time, they have secured two lots of funding to explore new ways of connecting the church with the community it serves. This year’s incumbents, musician Tony Bowler, and artist, Ken Maynard, each received a £500 bursary. This was made possible because of a successful Arts Council England funding application made by the arts organisation, LVAC Community Interest Company, in partnership with St. Paul’s Church, Ryhope. Tony had already set up the Ryhope Choir which meets weekly on Thursdays, at St. Paul’s. People attend from all over Sunderland and County Durham to make new friends and practice familiar songs. With his bursary, Tony decided to purchase some ukuleles as accompaniment for the choir and teach its members how to play. Then, thanks to Artists in Residence volunteers, Believe Housing awarded the choir one of its small community grants. This covers the cost of its yearly license, which allows its members to sing publicly. In exciting news, the choir members have been invited to Beamish Museum this summer to sing for the opening of the former Grand Cinema from Ryhope, now relocated to its 1950’s village. Ken Maynard has been no slouch either. He has been using his skills to research, design and make a number of poignant fused glass pieces which depict the seasons and liturgical calendar. Visitors to St. Paul’s have already been treated to Ken’s artistic response to Remembrance Day, Easter and the recent Pentecost. For example, local children received some unique fused glass Easter eggs, made specially by Ken, which will far outlast the chocolate alternatives. Also, talks are currently underway to showcase a selection of Ken’s artwork in a solo exhibition in Ryhope. So, what comes next for St. Paul’s Artists in Residence scheme? The call for submission of interest to become the next round of Artists will be launched in August 2024. When their own term comes to an end, both Ken and Tony want to continue with a role in the St. Paul’s community arts programme, something which Rev. David Chadwick was delighted to hear. To find out more about St. Paul’s Artists in Residence scheme, look for St. Paul’s Church Ryhope - Artists in Residence on Facebook. Or email: stpauls.air@gmail.com
Dear All,Unbelievably St Paul’s Shop is ten years old! This seems like a miracle to me, as does the fact that we have a shop in the first place. The story of how it came to be goes like this: in 2013 the bishop and I had a very bad conversation. It was meant to be encouraging, but it really wasn’t. It left me feeling like all my plans for the parish had run out of steam. So, I was in a low mood when I came home. I wondered if I’d come to the end of the road with Ryhope.But around then I got a phone call from Rev’d David Goodacre, who was the vicar of Ryhope during the 1970s. I told him all about it, and he wondered how long I’d been in the parish. Was it about seven years, he wondered. ‘Yes, seven years exactly,’I said. ‘Well, it seems to me that these things happen at seven years,’ he said, ‘you come to the end of one cycle, and then another one starts. Itdoesn’t mean you should leave. It just means you need to make a new beginning.’ David’s words resonated, and seemed true, though I wasn’t surewhat was coming next. Things became clearer after I spoke to anotherfriend, also called David. This was the Rev’d David Kennedy, former vicar of Christchurch, Seaham but then was living in Bradford. He enjoyed my story,because it was the sort of thing that happened to him. But then he said to me, ‘Have you thought about opening a shop?’ And he went on to explain to me how a shop had been opened in his parish, and how it had become a great focal point for thecommunity, as well as bringing in much needed funds. As he was speaking, I could feel a connection.Somehow, I knew that this was the thing that we needed to do. Also, we had the right people in the church who could make it happen. Within a matter of months, we were holding consultation talks in the parish (called ‘Talking Shop’ meetings), a property was acquired, and St Paul’s Shop was suddenly open. I still can’t believe that it happened so quickly or even that we have a shop at all. But for ten years now that’s been the reality.During those ten years we’ve been served by a great number of volunteers, all of whom have given their time for free. It’s this generosity that’s enabled us to continue. Our longest serving manager was Margaret Barkess who worked alongside Linda Woolley as her deputy for many years. These days we don’t have a manager as such, and the jobs are shared out between the volunteers. Our volunteers throughout 2024 have been Joan Amer, Mary Cobon, Avril Collins, June Davis, Sue Davis, Betty Dawson, Chris Dunn, Norma Hibbert, John Lucas, Trish Martin, Sylvia Nicholson, Pamela Surtees, Sharon Surtees, and Sheila Vincent. You can see their smiling faces next time you come to see us!I hope that having our shop has enabled the parish to weather some storms. Through it we’ve been able to offer assistance to people affected by Covid as well as during the Cost of Living Crisis. It’s still the best place to go for a bargain. But best of all is thecommunity that has developed around it. Customers have become friends, and some have become volunteers. We’ve even had people start to come along to church.My favourite story, though, is about a wedding. One customer loved a wedding dress in our window, bought it and took it home to show her partner. ‘Well, I suppose I’d better marry you now,’ he said. It was a privilege for me to take the service a few months later.People sometimes ask me what St Paul’s S.H.O.P stands for. If you look closely at the sign above the door, you’ll see: Supporting and Helping Our Parish. That’s been abundantly true for the last ten years. Only God knows what the next ten will bring. But we look forward to finding out.Your friend and vicar,David.A Message from Our Volunteers:The volunteers of St Paul’s Charity Shop would like to say a special thank you to all our customers, for your custom, donations of cleaning items, refreshments, biscuits, sweets. They are very much appreciated. Thank you from us all.
On Sunday 25th February St Paul’s welcomed back the Reverend Canon David Goodacre as a guest to deliver a very thought-provoking sermon about how we can pray for those in war zones around the world. I caught up with Rev’d Goodacre after the service and we spoke about his time in Ryhope and what he has been up to in recent years.Recently he has slowed down a little work wise as he is now in his late eighties but still works mornings, though now he does have some days off. He stopped services after the Covid pandemic, but still writes (he is currently writing another book). He is interested in the spiritual direction of the Anglican Church and is part of a project to rediscover a spiritual way of life for those living in a family, rather than those living a single, celibate life alone which he believes the church has largely modelled its approach on. He now lives in Kingston Park near Newcastle and does like to travel. Both his daughters, Christine and Mary, live in Kent and teach at the same school there. He visits them several times a year. His son in law had been Dean of Chelmsford until last year.Rev’d Goodacre arrived in the area in 1969. St Paul’s was a big parish, so he was surprised to be offered a position. He first worked as a hospital chaplain in Ryhope although nobody was informed that he was starting when he arrived. This gave him the chance to settle in and get to know everybody first though before he had to start work properly. He loved his six years at St Paul’s. He and his wife loved the beach going almost every day. They used to live in the old vicarage on Stockton Road before moving into the lovely new vicarage. He likes the changes which have been made to the church interior, especially the raised floor at the front with the altar. He used to preach from the pulpit which hasn’t been used for many years now. He introduced Ryhope Views magazine and saw it as community magazine rather than just a magazine for the Church. Hopefully, we are continuing his good work in the same way. After the SAFC FA Cup victory of 1973 he invited one of the players to give a talk about the spirituality of sport and he shared some of the tactics the team used to win the cup but they were not very edifying!A few people who attended the service enjoyed talking and reminiscing to Rev’d Goodacre afterwards, including some who were married by him in St Paul’s back in the 1970s. We all very much enjoyed his visit and he has left us with some interesting thoughts about prayer and the state of the world at the moment, leaving us feeling less futile in the face of conflict.Rev’d Goodacre’s book: Morning Prayer in Urumqi is available at The Church House Book Shop currently priced £16.99.https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781789592610/morning-prayer-in-urumqiby Elaine Shanks
