REGULAR CORPS EVENTS Sundays Meetings at 9.50. 10.30 a.m. 4-30 p.m. Messy Church every 4th Sunday 3.30 p.m. Mondays Open Door 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Over 60’s Club Fortnightly Lunch 12.15 p.m.. Meeting 2.00 p.m. Next Meeting 8th May Tuesday Parents and Tots 10 a.m.—11.30 Afternoon Fellowship 1.45 p.m. Wednesday Cameo Club—second Wednesday monthly 7.30 p.m. Bible Study 8 p.m. at Lucy and Mike’s home. Thursday Tea, Toast and Toys 9 a.m.—11.30 a.m. Open Songster practice 4th Thursday each month 8.30 pm Friday Coffee Morning 9.30 a.m. Luncheon Club 12.15 May Sun 7th Candidates’ Sunday Buffet following afternoon meeting 13th & 14th Corps Anniversary Sat 13th Countdown evening 6 p.m. Fish and chip supper included £5 adults, £2.50 Children £2.50 Tickets available. Sun 14th Corps Anniversary Sun 21st Normal meetings at 10.30 and 4.30 Sun 28th Afternoon Messy Church 3.30 p.m.

June Fri 2nd Flag day for the Big Collection at Tesco in Amersham Sun 4th Pentecost Sunday. Sun 11th Over 60’s Fellowship Sunday Fri 14 Flag day for the Big Collection at Tesco in Amersham. Sun 18th Fathers’ Day Please note the flag days and think about being a collector!

Editor: Carol Gibson. Tel. 01494 534087 Mob 07799187687

Email : carol@standardbearer.info Magazine Website www.standardbearer.info

It’s good to keep in touch! Do you want your name in the Corps Directory. If you belong to the Corps in any way and would like to be included, please let Carol Gibson have your name, address, phone number, email, etc., whatever you would like included. Thank you.

Standard Bearer High Wycombe

Salvation Army

May 2017 Year 17 Issue 3

Commanding Officers Captains Jo and Richard Thompson

01494 471847

Dear Friends, I confess that at the moment I am struggling as I have neglected my physical exercises. What started out as a rest day between exercising became a rest week and developed into a rest month. Eventually my guilt was so overcoming that I had to do something about it, but felt unable to do so because I had become so unfit. The thought of doing the running on the spot, push up and squats just seemed too much. Thankfully I found a plan which helps me start again like a beginner as I begin to build up my fitness once again. My 10 minute exercise took almost 30 minutes, but at least I have made a start as I try to return to look after my physicality and take care of my body. The comparison of this physical exercise plan coincides so greatly with our prayer and spiritual life. How well do we take care of our prayer and spiritual ife? It is easy to miss a da of prayer perhaps, which can develop into a week or month or even longer. The guilt comes in, I know that I should pray but what would Jesus say—he surely would point out how I have neglected him. Yet he calls us to him—because he longs to. Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the Polish pianist said, “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.” I guess the same sentiment could be said of prayer and how important it is. Prayer is important because it reminds us that God is with us and we remind God how important He is to us. If prayer and Christianity is that important to us, then we need to look after our spirituality and our relationship with God in the same way we look after our body. Praying is our spiritual workout. Let us keep on going, praying for self and one another, no matter the distractions, because prayer changes thing!. God bless us all Captain Richard. Page 11

Kevin’s My Saviour Sudoku…..

Y R V S O M A I U

A O S I Y U M V R

U M I A V R S O Y

M U Y O S A I R V

I S R V U Y O M A

O V A M R I U Y S

V I U R M S Y A O

R Y M O A O V S I

S A O Y I V R U M

M S I

V R

M O

I U

S O I

A S

R I O U

I A Y

Y O S

February Solution April Puzzle

Mystery words Join the grouped letters to make the answers to the

clues. Use each group once only.

en cess pet comm ter

thank pr ay ition vo

er in unic am sgiv

ut ation de ion ing

1. The soul’s sincere desire 6 letters

2 Word at the end? 4 letters

3 It’s two way 13 letters

4. Asking God 8 letters

5 Thanking God 12 letters

6. for other people 12 letters

7. Earnest 6 letters

1. Donkey 2. Palm 3. Passover 4. Gethsemane 5. Calvary 6 Emmaus 7 Resurrection

Last Month’s Answers

Page 10

Where are They ?

If you are reading this on 30th April, you may be wondering where our youngsters are. They are at Junior Camp. The picture shows some of them doing their bit on the cake stall at the coffee morning that was arranged to help fund them for the Camp. Captains Jo and Richard are with them as leaders for the week-end and with a team of volunteers giving these young people a great time with fun and games and time for worship. The coffee morning raised well over £100 and along with money raised by Melinda over a number of months with her stall, plus a previ-ous coffee morning, there was enough to pay for six children from our Corps. Well done all who were involved. Those of us who stayed at home look forward to hearing all about it. God bless our young people!

A few snapshots of some of

our Over 60 Club members

enjoying their annual holiday.

This year to Llandudno. They

are all smiles so obviously

having a good time

And can you guess who

the musician is? I didn’t

know he could strum the

strings!

Page 3

13th and 14th May

Saturday at 6 p.m.

“Countdown” Social Evening Including a

Fish and Chip Supper Tickets £5 Half price for children

Sunday Meetings at

10.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.

All welcome to come and

Praise God For

135 years of Witness Worship and Fellowship

In High Wycombe

Don’t miss it!

See Page 10 What are they up to?

Page 4

Beginning on Palm Sunday, a warm sunny day on 9th April, with a meet-ing of praise to God, the children emulated the shouts of Hosanna with their drums and also with waving palms. The congregation responded positively when asked why they praised God and many called out their praises to Him. We were also challenged by the question “Do we let others know why we praise Him?”

And thus we were reminded of the need of mankind to know about Jesus and what He has done for us.

Here we see Captain Jo completing the tableau of the cross when we met on the morning of Tuesday for the Community Service. During this hour we were remind-ed of all the events of Easter, from Palm Sunday through to the resurrection.

Captain Richard described the week as an emotional rollercoaster and so it was even for us. Esther and Charlie placed palms by the cross to remind us of the rejoicing of the people on Palm Sunday and Jo introduced the crown of thorns to the cross. Could it be that the people who shouted ‘Hosanna’ also shouted ‘Crucify Him’? Even the para-chute made an appearance and was used as an illustration thus helping the children to under-stand what Easter is all about. We were grateful for the help of the band and also for the singing of the songsters.

Page 9

Whittier’s political skills made him useful as a lobbyist. From 1835 to 1838, he travelled widely in the North, attending conventions, securing votes, speak-ing to the public and lobbying politicians. As he did so, he received his fair share of violent responses, being several times mobbed, stoned and run out of town. From 1838 to 1840 he was editor of The Pennsylvania Freeman. The premises they occupied were burned and destroyed by a pro-slavery mob. Around this time, the stresses of editorial duties, worsening health and dan-gerous mob violence caused him to suffer a physical breakdown. He went home to Amesbury, and remained there for the rest of his life, ending his active partici-pation in abolition. He did, however, continue his campaign when he became editor of The National Era, one of the most influential abolitionist newspapers in the North and for the next ten years it featured the best of his writing, both as prose and poetry. John Whittier, never claimed to be a hymn writer, indeed, as a Quaker he firmly believed that God was best worshiped in silent meditation. He did, howev-er write more than 500 poems and the beautiful, much-loved hymn, which we know as ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’ - which we sing to the tune of Rep-ton, composed by Hubert Parry - was taken from a very strange poem he wrote called ‘The Brewing of Soma’. Soma was a sacred ritual drink in Vedic religion, going back to 2000 BC, which had hallucinogenic properties. The story line is of Vedic priests brewing and drinking Soma and becoming drunk in an attempt to experience divinity. Whittier compares this with some Christians’ use of ‘’music, incense, vigils drear, and trance, to bring the skies more near, or lift men up to heaven!’’ But all in vain – it is mere intoxication. The words …., forgive our foolish ways, reclothe us our rightful mind’’, in the first verse take on added meaning when we realise the context of the poem. Whittier ends his poem by describing the true method for contact with the di-vine. Sober lives dedicated to God’s will, seeking silence and selflessness in order to hear the ‘’still, small voice’’, described in 1 Kings 19 11-13 as the au-thentic voice of God, rather than earthquake, wind and fire. Originally there were six verses in the hymn, but In our songbook the fourth verse has been omitted.

Quotable quote……. On the cross…….King of the Jews On the tomb……..Vacancy Captain Richard

Why not get those walking boots on and go for a walk? Gladys is organising a walk from Hambleden to Henley on 6th May. It’s a distance of about 2 1/4 miles and will probably include lunch in Henley. It’s a while since the last walk and Gladys is keen to give it another go. Do ask Gladys all the details and make it an opportunity to do the keeping fit thing. The chatting as you go through the very pretty countryside is also very enjoyable.

Page 8

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER 1807-1892 Writer of the hymn

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’

John Greenleaf Whittier was an American Quaker poet and a leading advocate for the abolition of slavery in the United States. He was born to John and Abigail at their rural Homestead in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on December 17,

1807. He grew up on the farm with his parents, a brother and two sisters. The farm was not very profitable and there was only enough money to get by. Whittier suffered from bad health and physical frailty his whole life and he was not cut out for farm labour. Although he received little education, he was an avid reader who studied his father’s six books on Quakerism until their teachings became the foundation of his ideology. He was strongly influenced by his religion’s stress on humanitarianism, compassion and social responsibility. Whittier was first introduced to poetry by a teacher. His sister sent his first poem, ‘The Exile’s Departure’, to the editor of a local newspaper and it was published on June 8, 1826. The paper’s editor, William Garrison, encouraged him to attend the recently opened Haverhill Academy. To pay his way through school, Whittier became a shoe maker for a while, and a deal was made to pay part of his tuition by serving as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. He attend-ed Haverhill Academy from 1827 to 1828 and completed his high school education in only two terms. Mainly through the mentorship of William Garrison, Wittier was launched into a career of newspaper editorship. In the following three years he became editor of the National Philanthropist, followed by a spell as editor of American Manufacturer, and in 1930 he was appointed editor of the influential New Eng-land Weekly Review. During the 1830s, Whittier became interested in politics but after losing a Congressional election at age twenty-five, he suffered a nervous breakdown and returned home. The year 1833 was a turning point for Whittier when he reconnected his association with William Garrison, and the abolitionist encour-aged him to join his cause. In 1833 Whittier published the antislavery pamphlet Justice and Expediency, and from there dedicated the next twenty years of his life to the abolitionist cause. His controversial pamphlet destroyed all of his political ambitions, as his demand for immediate emancipation alienated both northern businessmen and southern slaveholders, but it also sealed his commitment to a cause that he deemed morally correct and socially necessary. He was a founding member of the American Anti-Slavery Society and signed the Anti-Slavery Declaration of 1833, which he considered the most significant action of his life.

Page 5

On Wednesday the hall became a sanctuary of quietness for prayer and meditation. Prayer stations gave help to gather the thoughts of those who came, suggesting ways to pray and also offering Scripture to focus the mind. During

the morning we sat quietly together for half an hour while Captain Richard gave some thoughts on Psalm 65 and likewise in the after-noon Captain Jo led half an hour of togetherness in prayer. It was a very special day although not many people came to participate. For me it was time to step out of the chaos of everyday life and just to think of Jesus. I was impressed with the children who also made good use of the prayer stations. Thursday evening brought us together to share in a simple meal and to consider the events of the last time before Calvary that Jesus sat at a meal with his disciples. Like them we passed round bread and juice and thought of the words of Jesus as He explained to those disciples what the next few days meant and would mean to them and to the Kingdom of God. How difficult it must have been for those men to understand. After all they were the people involved in the making of history and Jesus’ talk of dying and rising again must have sounded very strange in its apparent impossi-bility. We have the advantage of retrospect but their minds must have been clouded by incomprehension and confusion.

Page 6

Then came Good Friday and for many of us the most powerful meeting of the week. Scripture from Isaiah 53 and thoughts from Captain Richard helped us to focus on the awful events of the day that Jesus died, but perhaps the dread-fulness of it all was brought home to us by the words flashing on the screen and the sound effects that went with them. Loud and inescapable. Rarely have I seen such an effect, such an impact on people in a meeting, as the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death was brought home to

us. It would have been good to be able to stay awhile after-wards and quietly contemplate the great love of God and the huge sacrifice of Jesus, but it was not to be. The big wooden cross was needed for the united walk of witness through the town centre. While the band played outside the parish church the rest of us joined with our brothers and sisters in Christ and made our witness to the few people who were going about their normal Friday business in the town centre. Stopping a couple of

times for a Scripture reading and the singing of a song, we eventually joined with the band for a final period of worship before dispersing, some into the church for a three hour vigil and some to the Swan theatre for more worship, with the cross again taking its place on the stage as a focal point for some lively, exuber-ant worship. Some of us went back to the hall for a cuppa and then home to reflect on the happenings of the day.

Page 7

And suddenly it was Sunday! And such a time of rejoicing. On the hillside above the church at Hughenden we sang “Christ the Lord is risen to-day”, revelling in the reality of a living, loving Saviour. There followed a lovely break-fast at the quarters

with even the Easter bunny making an appearance! (Well if we can have chocolate eggs, why not a pineapple bunny ?) Do you remember occasion when Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples on the beach after his resurrection.

The morning meeting was almost party like at times. The cross dressed with the white cloth representing the discarded grave clothes, and flowers representing life ,The children partying with the parachute as the rest of us sang “from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord we lift your name on high “ What better a

day in the Christian calendar than Easter day. How blessed are we to know that Good Friday was not the end. Jesus died to redeem us and rose again to open the gates of the Kingdom of God to all who believe and put their trust in Him. “He only could unlock the gate of Heaven and let us in”