Special Events
The next few weeks will be a busy and exciting time, especially with the events listed below. The catering needed for each of them will be detailed closer to the time, but please note these dates and times so you can come and join us. Harvest Supper - Monday 7th at 7pm It is that time of year when we thank God for his provision for our needs as we celebrate the Harvest. Once more we will seek to share his generosity as we take up an offering of produce for the Abergavenny Food Bank, as well as joining together for our Harvest Supper.
Genesis Acaye - Saturday 19th or Afternoon Tea (Time to be confirmed) - As a Fellowship we are focusing our support for BMS through the work of Genesis Acaye in Uganda. Genesis is currently in Britain and will be visiting us on Saturday 19th. Please join us as we meet with Genesis and hear more of his work. Please note - his latest newsletter is in the Chapel porch.
Induction of Rev Richard Miles - Saturday November 2nd at 2.30pm - We are pleased and grateful that Rev Richard Miles and his wife Annmarie are coming to join us as our ministerial couple. Please come and join us to celebrate this new beginning in the history of our Fellowship as we welcome them both at the Induction Service on November 2nd.

Christian Aid
A recent Christian Aid advert on TV used Sydney Carter's standard When I Needed a Neighbour as its soundtrack - a reminder that Christ's call to love our neighbour extends far beyond any ties of family, locality or nationality by which many try to restrict our responsibility for the other who is in need. Seeking to carry out the challenge Christ's call has left us, Christian Aid are currently focusing on two projects which reflect so many others in the wider world.
Their project for Harvest highlights the plight of farmers in Zimbabwe. Once the bread-basket of southern Africa, Zimbabwe is increasingly suffering the impacts of Climate Change. With projects similar to those overseen by Genesis Acaye and BMS in Uganda, Christian Aid is helping the farmers of Zimbabwe to learn to farm in ways that will prove more resistant to Climate Change. Working with a local partner called Bio-Innovation Zimbabwe, Christian Aid is helping local farmers in the sustainable use of local wild plants and providing ways in which these products can be marketed to give those farmers income with which to support their families. Nyarai, one of the farmers involved in the project, said:
We've seen our livelihoods, diet and farming methods improve greatly. We are better able to sustain ourselves even when droughts hit.
The other major focus is a call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. The current problems in the Levant have a long history - stretching back at least one hundred years to the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration. These treatises from towards the end of WWI promised independent homelands in Israel/Palestine to both Jewish and Arab populations. And Christian Aid has for many years worked with the refugees who have resulted from the tension - including those in the camps in Gaza. The current increase in tension began with raids by Hamas into Israeli territory on October 7th last year, which killed over 1000 people and led to the taking of over 600 hostages. Since then there have been some 40000 deaths in Gaza, while tensions have increased in the West Bank and, now, on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Whilst Israel has the right of self-defence, it is clear that any hope of peace must begin with an immediate cease-fire in the battle-ground that is Gaza today.
As we pray for the work of Christian Aid, we remember the other places where issues of Climate Change and conflict are causing so much pain and destruction.

Gardener's Corner

The scattering of leaves just now tells us autumn is on its way. Lots of lovely golds and fiery reds around plus every shade of green through to yellow on the trees. A good month to be clearing and replanting. Soil dug deep just now and left cloddy will benefit from frost action and make excellent seedbeds next spring. Rose hips are in abundance this year and add such vibrant colour to the garden and hedgerows. Now is a good time to plant bulbs ready for spring next year. Be sure to give daffodils and narcissus at least 3ins of soil over them to ensure flowering next & subsequent years. Any tender plants should be brought inside if not already done, otherwise ensure they are protected with straw, bracken or even dead leaves. Winter window-boxes can be planted now. There are lots of winter foliage plants around which, although not a colourful as summer planting, can look very attractive during the dark winter months. Chrysanthemums now add a late colour to your gardens and last a long time - spray varieties being the most hardy. A light autumn feed on the lawn will carry it through the winter months - the soil need to be warm and weather mild to be successful. Rambler roses can be pruned and retrained now - removing old flowering stems back to ground level, then tying new growth back to the wall in a fan shape. It is important to rake up leaves before they cause any damage, on rockeries they attract slugs and can cause small plants to rot. A sharp frost will blacken dahlias and they should be lifted and store in a dry plant over winter. A busy time in the garden but well worth the effort for next year's springtime joy! Enjoy your gardening!

Minister's Musings

Allan's Musings According to Wikipedia, the modern British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival thanksgiving service. It seems that there is an instinct to express gratitude deep in all of us. No wonder that the festival of Harvest Thanksgiving is consistently so popular, even among the most casual of church-goers. It is a time to be grateful for every plateful so to speak! In the western world, our plates are usually full, even unnecessarily so, at times. However, recent developments in the UK, such as the need for food banks which are supported by many churches and other community organisations, have reminded us that even in our country there is daily hunger and need. In this context, gratitude and generosity go hand in hand at harvest time, as we recognise both how much God has blessed us and look for opportunities to share that blessing with others. Deuteronomy tells us, "When you gather your crops and fail to bring in some of the grain that you have cut, do not go back for it; it is to be left for the foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do". We eagerly anticipate the visit of our BMS partner Genesis Acaye during the month. Here is a perfect example of a Christian man who is spending his life, along with other facilitators, helping others to improve their lot by the planting of crops including fruit bearing trees. The word is spread through the training given by CCMP (Church and Community Mobilisation Process) to the facilitators who pass on advice and guidance to local people who experience an improvement in their lives at the harvest. The book of Acts is full of examples of so many people whose souls were won although it seems an almost impossible task for many of us ordinary folk. When we consider the way the modern world is changing, with so much emphasis on acquiring wealth and position, it may seem like the harvest of the spirit comes way down the list. The words of this song send the same message now as when it was written in 1960's: All babies together, everyone a seed Half of us are satisfied, half of us in need Love's bountiful in us, tarnished by our greed When will there be a harvest for the world A nation planted, so concerned with gain As the seasons come and go, greater grows the pain And far too many feelin' the strain When will there be a harvest for the world Gather everyman, gather everywoman Celebrate your lives, give thanks for your children Gather everyone, gather all together Overlooking none, hopin' life gets better for the world Dress me up for battle, when all I want is peace Those of us who pay the price, come home with the least Nation after nation, turning into beast When will there be a harvest for the world