Stockton Road Church News
November 2024
Mark 12: 30-31
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your mind, and with all your strength, and you shall
love your neighbour as yourself”.
We are a union of Presbyterian and Congregational
churches at the heart of Sunderland city life, growing from
a past rich in mission and hospitality. We embrace this
heritage utilising the Five Marks of Mission to guide and
enable us to take forward current opportunities for mission
and service.
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NOVEMBER REFLECTION
DANIEL 7: 9-10, 13-14
The Book of Daniel is set during Israel’s exile in Babylon
(c597-538 BC), but was probably written for a later crisis
around 160 BC that raised essentially the same issue: ‘How
can we live faithfully as God’s people when the powers that
govern the world are against us?’ This passage is part of
Daniel’s first of four visions in the second half of the book.
They all have much the same message. God’s victory over
his people’s enemies is assured and will soon be entrusted
to his faithful people.
Daniel sees four terrifying beasts, symbolising four earthly
rulers, emerging from the sea. Then he sees the heavenly
throne room, where God, ‘the Ancient One’, presides over
the heavenly court. Here is a picture of God who is beyond
human imagination. God’s shining, fiery appearance
symbolises everlasting power, glory and holiness, worthy of
all worship. The fourth beast with its 10 horns is put to death,
the other three lose their authority but still live. Then Daniel
sees ‘one like a human being’ (some Bible versions translate
this as ‘a son of man’) coming with clouds before God’s
throne, and this figure is given universal and everlasting
dominion. Here is a picture of humans – ‘the holy ones of the
Most High’, God’s people who, like Daniel, remain faithful
despite oppression – who are promised a share in God’s
victory over evil empires.
Jesus reinterprets Daniel’s vision and applies it to himself, to
show what it means to be God’s Messiah (see also Mark
8:31-9:1; 14:62). Like Daniel, Jesus trusts in God’s promise
to vindicate him and his faithful followers in the face of every
evil.
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Did anyone watch King Charles’ coronation in May 2023? I
wonder what struck you from the service. There seemed to
be a marked contrast between the symbols of power and
authority in much of the service – the crown, the sword, the
elaborate clothes, and the humility and simplicity of the
anointing – with the King in just a simple white shirt and
hidden from view by the Anointing Screen. Perhaps it was
not what people were expecting? In the same way, Jesus
was not necessarily the kind of king people were expecting.
Did the reading from Daniel challenge some of the ways that
you usually think of Jesus?
Lord Jesus, we praise you for your kingship of all that is
good and generous;
we praise you for bearing witness to the truth;
for bearing the burdens of those who are struggling;
for bringing strength to those who admit their weakness;
for bringing purpose to those who name their emptiness;
for bringing hope to those who acknowledge their despair;
for painting a picture of a kingdom where all are called and
all belong, we praise you.
May you be enthroned in our lives, and may we seek to live
according to your will, as members of your kingdom, this
week and always.
Amen
Lectionary Readings
3 – 9 November – Love, actually
Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9.11-14; Mark 12.28-34
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10 – 16 November – Giving beyond obligation
27: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9.24-28; Mark
12.38-44
17 – 23 November – What song shall we sing?
1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10.11-14(15
18)19-25; Mark 13.1-8
24 – 30 November – King Jesus: Pictured and promised
Christ the King: Daniel 7.9-10,13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation
1.4b-8; John 18.33-37
Church Services November
Services at 10.45am in the Sanctuary unless indicated otherwise
Nov 3rdRevd Jane Rowell. Coffee and Croissants in the Lower Hall.
Nov 10th Barbara Ledger. Remembrance Day.
Nov 17th Revd Dr David Whiting
Nov 24th Revd Jane Rowell.
Weekly Church Activities (all welcome)
Bible Study Group Tuesdays at 10.30am
Food Cycle Lunch Tuesdays at 12.30am
Church Meeting
Diary Dates
Thursday November 28 at 10.30am
FoodCycle
As many members will know, since September 2023 we
have had had a close partnership with FoodCycle to provide
a free weekly three-course meal open to all at 12.30 on Tuesdays.
FoodCycle is a national charity which aims to reduce food
poverty, loneliness and food waste by offering meals with
company. It is supported by other charities, corporate
sponsorship and personal donations. In addition to our
Church and the Grindon Church Community Project, there
are eight more venues in the North East – at Newcastle,
Gateshead, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. The only paid
staff are Louise Green, the Regional Manager, and Sadie
Adams, the Project Support Officer.
The lunches depend on three cooks and seven hosts who
welcome guests and serve the meals. The hosts can also
signpost guests who have other issue than food to relevant
organisations.
The cooks and hosts are all volunteers and include those
who are retired, who are students or who have just arrived in
the area and wish to meet local people. Other volunteers are
unemployed; the work experience gained at FoodCycle has
helped several gain permanent jobs.
The food for the meals would otherwise have gone to waste.
It is obtained from supermarkets by another charity, The
Bread and Butter Thing, and passed on to FoodCycle. The
meals are vegetarian to cater for the largest number of
guests. It is only on the morning of the lunch that the cooks
know the ingredients and can decide on the meal. Those
enjoying the meals particularly appreciate the innovative
soup recipes. If there is any food unserved it is available to
be taken home, as are surplus fruit and vegetables.
The around 30 guests at the weekly meals are a cross
section of the local community. Some come because it is
one day a week they do not have to provide a hot meal.
Others welcome having this in company rather than eating
on their own, while homeless people, or those living in
hostels, are also guests. There is a variety of age ranges
including children, particularly during school holidays.
Several Church members also enjoy FoodCycle lunches.
Since September 2023 1,775 meals have been served and
3,878 tons food used, which would have otherwise gone to
waste.
The partnership has been very positive for both the Church
and FoodCycle. For us it has been an opportunity to
welcome and meet people who would not usually come
through our doors. It also justifies our decision to refurbish
our main hall three years ago, in the hope that it would
generate greater community use. Food Cycle’s Louise has
written that Stockton Road is a fantastic space and one of
our most beautiful venues and the room that we have is light
and airy.
Following the positive outcome at Stockton Road, the
provision of a three-course evening meal at Grindon Church
Community Project began in June. It now has an average of
25 guests and many local people are enjoying the free meal
and the chance to socialise on Thursday evenings.
The partnership with FoodCycle has been a success for all
those involved. The URC is providing space for an important
service for our communities. For FoodCycle, Lousie feels
that we have really great relationship with both Stockton
Road and Grindon-we have great support. They’re both
lovely spaces.
The principle behind FoodCycle is that no one is asked to
pay for their meals. Donations towards the cost of the
service are, however, welcome and can be made online at
www.foodcycle.org.uk .
Neil Sinclair
ALISON’S THANKSGIVING SERVICE
22.9.24
We were pleased to welcome over 50 guests to Stockton
Road on October 22nd. It was lovely to see so many people
joining us to give thanks for Alison’s ministry here in
Sunderland and over her whole career as a Church Related
Community Worker.
We were especially pleased to welcome our Synod
Moderator, the Revd Kim Plumpton, to help us mark the
occasion by leading our worship.
The service was followed by afternoon tea in the Lower Hall.
The Project
Our current Community project goes back to 2014 when the
Sunderland and Boldon Partnership of United Reformed
Churches applied for a Church Related Community Worker
to support them in becoming more involved in their local
communities by providing hospitality, space for community
support activities and linking with local organisations and
networks.
Helen Ogilvie was appointed and with her help, Roker URC
became an important community resource, still flourishing,
developing and much valued today.
At Stockton Road, we had the privilege of working with
Helen to define our mission by identifying the elements
which make up our local community and taking the first
steps in outreach by engaging with art-based activities and
refugee and asylum seeker support. Before long, however, it
became obvious that major building work and refurbishment
was needed before further progress could be made.
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After a long process of planning and acquiring funding, work
was completed during the first half of 2020 and, following
Helen’s departure, it was at this time that Alison was
appointed to develop the second phase of the project. The
Covid pandemic made this a very difficult time to begin her
work, depending as it does on meeting and interacting with
people. Alison’s efforts to get to know the congregations by
walking to people’s houses to distribute over 150 of her
labyrinth pebbles were much appreciated.
At first, Alison’s focus was mainly with Roker, but it soon
became clear that Stockton Road needed support in moving
forward with new initiatives. And so, Alison exploded into our
midst like a firework! The creative ideas came along at
dizzying speed, leaving us at times wishing we were any
number of years younger as we tried to keep up.
It has been immensely rewarding to work with Alison. From
the start, the emphasis has been on finding projects and
activities that we could sustain, rather than ones that would
disappear when she left. Our Garden Project is about
opening up the church grounds for community and church
use; in our Heritage Project we have opened our doors for
successful activity days highlighting the history of the church
and welcoming visitors, some of them thinking we were
closed, and others venturing inside for the first time. Cultural
Spring offers taster arts and craft activities; fruitful links have
been developed with ICOS (International Communities of
Sunderland), Durham Wildlife Trust, Nissan volunteers, while
the charity, FoodCycle, provides weekly community meals.
As well as these new initiatives, Alison has enabled and
encouraged us to develop relationships with our existing
organisations, some of whom have been with us for many
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years – the Kathleen Knox School of Dance, Guiding
organisations and the Nigerian church, Mountains of Fire
and Miracles Ministry. This has been very rewarding.
This list gives just a flavour of Alison’s work with us; there is
much more to add. Her unstinting efforts on our behalf have
not only helped us to develop our mission here but have also
provided spiritual, pastoral and practical support in many
ways. Mention must also be made of her involvement with
the wider community in Sunderland and her work for Synod.
It has been an exhilarating ride, sometimes exhausting and
challenging, but we have learned so much. Knowing what’s
possible is clearer in our minds and we can now ask the
question “What do you need and how can we help?” more
confident in the knowledge that we can handle the answer.
I want to finish with a comment that someone from Alison’s
project in Poole, Dorset, kindly sent us after hearing that she
is retiring, “She is a bit like Mary Poppins in a way, I am sure
she leaves you stronger and more engaged with
community”. This is absolutely true!
We can’t imagine Alison retiring and taking it easy, but we
hope she does, and enjoys spending more time with her
family, her grandchildren and doing the things she wants to
do.
Elisabeth Meikle
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Love, Amelia
Don’t forget to check out Love, Amelia’s Wishlist and if there
is anything you can give from the list it can be left in/beside
the box in the church foyer. Check out their website for more
information too: www.loveamelia.org.uk
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Click on link to view previous News letters
March Newsletter 2024