What Downloads?

Although very empty at the moment, this part of the site will eventually include various downloads relating to the parish. Please watch the news page for information of new downloads as they become available.

Downloads you may expect to see include:

• Annual reports
• Newsletters
• Forms

Annual report for AGM 2010

This is the annual report for the AGM. The AGM was held in April 2010

Download Annual Report

Trilogy's Latest Thought

“There’s so much more to Easter. . .” : Thoughts from our Vicar

At the heart of the Easter story is the simple, powerful and profound message that Jesus died in our place, so that we can join Jesus in his place. There is plenty to ponder in this, and many of us might usefully take some time out, aside from our worship and services together, to think more about this. There is a danger though that we reduce the meaning of Easter to being all about the means whereby we get to heaven when we die. This is where I have to say, “There’s so much more to Easter. . .”

Learned theologians have found many things to say about Jesus’ death the cross, but have not yet plumbed its full depths. The New Testament writers explain many of the wonderful things released by the death of Jesus. It demonstrates the enormity of God’s passionate love for us (John 15:13, Romans 5:8). It is the means by which the penalty for our sin is paid (Hebrews 9:15), our record of sin wiped clean (Colossians 2:14) and our shame is taken away (Hebrews 1:3,12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18). It achieved peace and reconciliation between human beings and God (2 Corinthians 5:19), shattered barriers between human beings (Ephesians 2:14-15), conquered evil (Colossians 2:15) and released the power to break patterns of sinful and destructive behaviour (Romans 6:6-7,22, 8:2, Hebrews 9:26). I suggest we each take some time over the next few weeks to think more about each of these marvellous benefits.

We need to do more than think though! Some of these benefits we will only fully realise when we die and see Jesus face to face. But others are available now, and there to be experienced and enjoyed. If we have a healthy bank balance, we can go and draw money from our account. But if we forget that it’s there, we can end up living in poverty. Similarly, the amazing results of what Jesus won for us at the first Easter are available to us now. But if we forget them or ignore them, we can find ourselves enduring a partial and second rate existence that God does not want for us – because “there’s so much more to Easter. . .”

For example, Galatians has much to say about freedom. Chapter 5 in particular stresses that it was for freedom that Christ has set us free. So we should not accept anything that diminishes or reduces that freedom. Yet I, like the apostle Paul, see so many followers of Jesus making do with a limited experience of the freedom that he has won for us at such great cost upon the cross. It may be holding on to unforgiveness or past hurts, tolerating broken relationships, or allowing bad habits or attitudes to remain in our lives. It can also be failing to enjoy the power and presence of God more fully. When Paul prayed for the believers in the churches he had planted, he asked that they experience to the fullest possible extent the love that God has for them (Ephesians 3:17-19). We should do likewise, for ourselves and others.

The message of Easter includes elements of heavenly reality coming to earth now. We must not be comfortable settling for an inferior reality. When the Scriptures and God’s promises don’t match our experience, we have a choice. We can lower our expectations of God’s promises to the level of our experience, or we can seek to raise our experience to the level of God’s promises. Through his death on the cross, Jesus has opened the door for the full release of God’s promises. A rich inheritance is there ready and waiting for us. Over these coming weeks, let’s find out about it and make it our aim to grab hold of more of it now. “There’s so much more to Easter. . .”

Andy Jolley

Trilogy's Thought from February 2010

‘On The Way’: Thoughts from our Associate Vicar

I’ve recently enjoyed a fantastic walking holiday. There were 12 of us including my husband and myself, and we stayed in the same house, ate all our meals together at a long table, and each day went for long walks in the surrounding countryside. For a whole week we were a community; we journeyed together sharing our lives as we shared conversation, friendship and food as well as our common love of walking.

This holiday experience of community reminded me of the Christian community, – the life we share as we follow Jesus together. We are a community that is journeying together. The early Christians were known as followers of The Way (Acts 9:2). That description, a community on The Way, suggests movement and growth, never standing still, always on the move, sharing our lives together as we follow Jesus and become more like him.

In our Sunday services and triangle groups over the next few months we’ll be thinking about journeying together as disciples of Jesus. We’ll be looking at people of faith in the Old and New Testaments as well as the life of Jesus, and letting God encourage and challenge us as we grow as disciples. And this is not just an individual journey, – it is a journey in community with others. So how can we help others on the journey? God is sending new people to all 3 of our churches every Sunday morning; – how can we help new people get to know others and know they belong to the Christian community? How can we help them come to believe and trust in Jesus and start out on The Way, – beginning their journey of discipleship? How can we all recognise and use the gifts that God has given us for his service? And how can we all help each other to make sure we not only start out on The Way, – but also persevere to the end?

We’ll be considering these questions (and more!) at our Transforming Church Away Day on February 27th (further details from the church office or the clergy). Do come to this day and be part of listening to God and each other as we seek him for our church community. And if you’re not able to come on the 27th but have ideas to share, – do speak to one of the clergy.

Let’s help each other on The Way as we journey together as disciples of Jesus. I finish with 2 verses from a song;

Brother, sister let me serve you
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
We are travellers on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.

[Richard Gillard (copyright 1977 Scripture in Song)]

Jenny Arnold

Trilogy's Thought from November 2009

Is there any room? by our Vicar

Somewhere in my childhood memories, I dimly recall playing one of those minor parts in the school nativity play. No, not one of the wise men, or even a shepherd, but rather an innkeeper. Not THE innkeeper, the one who found the stable for Mary and Joseph. No, rather one of the earlier innkeepers, whose line was, “Sorry, there’s no room here.”

For many of us, December is a very busy month. We have less daylight to work in, and so much more to do. The writing of Christmas cards, the braving of the crowds in the Bull Ring for buying presents, the getting out and putting up of Christmas decorations, the making of arrangements to see family members, the preparations for the Christmas Day feasts – not to mention fitting in visits to the German Christmas Market, or perhaps the Nativity Trail, and Christmas parties at work or in our neighbourhood. All of these things can press in upon us. We can feel pressurised to make sure we do it all. And to get it all done, it’s all to easy to go to bed that bit later or to get up that bit earlier. As a result, we can arrive at Christmas exhausted and having lost sight of what it’s all about so that “there’s no room here” for whatever surprise God wants to spring on us.

It is for this reason (among others) that I am grateful for the season of Advent. For some years now, I have tried to use Advent as a time of preparation and sometimes of fasting. For me, and perhaps for many of you, I think it is important to consciously make space at this busy time not just to focus on the “reason for the season”, but also to have time available for others. One of the strongest messages I think God gave me from my time of sabbatical over the summer as about making space, consciously carving out space for other people to find their place, but also for new things to happen. Making space and time may not seem easy in the rush of December, but it is possible. For example, perhaps we might watch less television, or spend less time on-line, fasting from our TVs and computers instead of (or as well as?) from food.

So, do you have any room this Advent, as we prepare for Jesus’ return and also for Christmas? The Bethlehem innkeeper who answered, “Yes” to that question all those years ago only made a small amount of room available – but what an amazing thing happened in that space! Let that be an encouragement to us this December to create a bit of extra space in our lives and to offer that to God. And let’s encourage one another with the stories of what he does with it.

Below is a prayer some of us have used in Advent for a number of years. Perhaps you might want to use it as part of your prayer times to make more room for God as we seek to be ready for Jesus’ return and look for more of the Lord and his kingdom now.

Andy Jolley
Advent 2009

Our Advent Prayer

Lord, thank you for all you have done in our lives and in our church.
Thank you that you are our Father, and we are your children.
Thank you for all you have done for us in Jesus, and
Thank you for the life, love and growth that your Spirit brings.
But Lord, we want to know you more.

We want to meet you more fully in our worship together.
We want our lives and our characters to be more like Jesus,
We want our relationships with each other to be pure and holy, and
We want many, many more people in Aston and Nechells to know you.
Lord, as we fast together this Advent,
Make us hungry for you, your life and your kingdom.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Shake us out of careless ease.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Take us deeper and further with you
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Wake us up to what you are doing
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Break through into the lives of our friends, families, neighbours and colleagues who don’t know you yet.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

The Jolleys in Kenya (5)

From 16 August 2009

Off Duty – Mount Kenya & Maasai Mara

We have had a week of mingling with some of the many tourists in Kenya. It was fascinating to feel like them to some degree, but at the same time rather different because of having taken time to be with and get to know Kenyan people.

We started off by taking a four day trek up and down Mount Kenya. All of us walked up to 14,000 ft, and then Andy, Ricky and Matty got up at 2.30 am on Tuesday for the final climb up to the Point Lenana summit at 16,000 ft (Beth sensibly stayed in bed!). We reached the top just as the sun was rising. The hard work involved in climbing is something we perhaps miss in the many accounts in the Bible of people going up mountains to meet with God. Certainly the solitude and quiet make mountains very special places. Mount Kenya, being so high, also has an amazing range of plants above 11,000 ft, giving a fresh insight into the amazing diversity of God’s creation.

“Pole, pole!” (“Slowly, slowly!”) was a common cry from the guides. Certainly, this was important to be able to adjust properly to the effects of altitude. We did however find ourselves slipping into more western approaches to speed by finding it difficult to be patient with unexplained delays during our travels this week.

We finished the week with a trip to the Maasai Mara, reckoned to be the finest game reserve in Kenya. We saw families of elephants, plenty of buffalo, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, a leopard. This year there were also huge numbers of wilderbeest. Each year at this time they migrate across the Mara River, braving the crocodiles and find new pasture on the northern side. Normally many die in the process, but this year, following such little rain, many more have survived.

We also had the opportunity to visit a Maasai village. The Maasai are reknown for their height, dancing and particularly for their pride in their cattle. Each night the cattle are kept at the very heart of the village, shedding fresh light on Jesus’ saying “where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” It was interesting to ponder whether their culture can survive the effect of the regular flow of western tourists coming to experience it, especially when combined with the effect of more of their children going on to secondary education at the time when they would be entering into their extended rite of passage to adulthood.

In the News – Hilary Clinton

The US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, was in Kenya last week as part of her tour of Africa. This helped explain why we were unable to use our mobile phones – jamming the phone networks seemed to be part of the security operation. The local newspapers favourably contrasted the life and spontaneity of her speeches with the rather more wooden ones of the Kenyan leaders. They also praised her openness, accessibility and vulnerability in her facing an audience of local people for an honest and frank question and answer session. They wished that Kenyan politicians would make themselves similarly accessible and accountable. Perhaps that would be another step towards ending the culture of impunity surrounding the actions of politicians and government officials (this has also been the subject of much media debate in Kenya recently). It has been interesting to read this alongside incidents from the life of Jesus, where he too seems to welcome questions from a wide range of people – even if his answers take some effort to fully understand.

The Jolleys in Kenya (4)

From 7th August 2009

Hemstone in Kisumu

On Tuesday we visited Hemstone Mole, who Matty has been sponsoring through Compassion for the past eight years. He lives in Luanda, in the far west of Kenya, close to the border with Uganda. It was wonderful to see this well dressed fine young man – so different from our first picture of him in 2001.

Our first sighting of Hemstone was by the gate of a school, and we couldn’t recognise him because he’d had his growth spurt since the last photo we had of him. We then followed him up a path towards the project that he attended for education, spiritual and physical activities every Saturday. After getting talked through the things that the project does, looking at photos and asking questions about the project, we proceeded to look around the church that Hemstone attends every Sunday and planted a tree to remember the day by. After that we went back into the project building and ate a very big lunch, as is the custom here when visitors come.

Just after lunch, a lot of rain starting pouring down for about half an hour, and it would of put the drizzle in England to shame. Once the rain cleared up, we took a wheel-spinning, muddy and dangerous route to Hemstone’s home, where we handed him the big food box and other gifts we brought to him. We then met his family and took lots of photos. Hemstone’s friends turned up and made that very entertaining! After planting another tree at his house, Hemstone’s family gave us gifts such as woven bags and hats, a big bunch of bananas and a live chicken! We gave the chicken back to them to keep for us, because bringing a chicken back home wouldn’t have been practical at all! We then said our goodbyes, then, with a bit of vehicle-pushing from the children, drove away. A very fun day for all parties!

Uluthe Project

On Wednesday, we visited the Uluthe project in Mungao, near the border with Uganda. This was started back in 2007 by a friend of Ross Bryson (one of Ricky’s colleagues at Karis Medical Centre). We had a fantastic day and were overwhelmed by the friendliness of the team. The project impressed us because it was multifaceted – covering improved agricultural techniques to boost food production, education with three primary and one High school, a Health Centre and dispensary and work on the infrastructure – water, sanitation and power. The kids were incredibly friendly, we were treated to two feasts in the day. The main players in the project appeared to be Christian, but as far as we could tell there was no overt spiritual dimension to the project which was a real shame – and provided a frustrating contrast to many Christian projects which focus too much on the spiritual at the expense of more holistic care. The team are having a medical camp for a week in November if any GP’s out there would like to come … Ricky would love to if she had any holiday or money left!

The Lunatic Express

To travel to these two projects we took the overnight train from Nairobi to Kisumu. This was no express trip, with the journey scheduled to take 15 hours to cover 350 miles – and even then it got in 3.5 hours late on our outward leg and set off nearly 2 hours late for the return! The railway itself was one of the great colonial projects at the turn of the last century, linking Lake Victoria with the port of Mombassa on the Indian Ocean. Such was the daring scope of the project, it was termed at the time The Lunatic Express. Much of the rolling stock, including the buffet car, look little changed from pre-colonial days.

In the News – Power Cuts

Kenya is reliant on hydro-electricity for its power requirements. Some 57% of the nation’s demand is met by 4 hydro power stations on the Tana River. With water levels at their lowest in 60 years drastic action is needed. So from August 6th, power will be “rationed” on 2 days each week, with power cuts of several hours. However, as Julius’ house is just down the road from the President’s and “key installations” won’t have their power cut, we probably won’t feel too much effect. Another government plan to help the situation is to give out 1.2 million free low-energy light bulbs (to save around 50 Megawatts of power nationally), and to make their use compulsory.

Off Duty – The Giraffe Sanctuary

Last week, we visited the Giraffe Sanctuary. After haggling with the kiosk operator deciding whether or not Beth was a student (ksh500 less), we walked into the small compound. The first thing we noticed was the big, round building, which was platformed around the edge to feed the giraffes. Inside was lots of information on giraffes. We discovered that the type of giraffe that live there are Rothschild, which are very endangered. After having a quick look inside, Beth exclaimed that she could see 6 giraffes coming towards us. Lynne reached us first, and after some initial worries, we braved her huge tongue and all the saliva to feed her. Still, Matty refused, saying “It looks disgusting”. We were told that Lynne was 14 years old, and she had had a baby, but it had been eaten by a hyena. Matty and Beth wanted a drink in the café, but Ricky and Andy really wanted to get to the Karen Blixen Museum, so we had to leave.

The Jolleys in Kenya (3)

From 30 July 2009

Kibera

Last week, Andy and Ricky visited Kibera, which is the largest slum (“informal settlement”) in eastern and central Africa. We visited the ‘Nuuma ya Yesu’ (“In the name of Jesus”) clinic, set up in 2004 by the local Anglican church. Here local residents are offered affordable healthcare – clinic visits cost 50Ksh (about 40p). The clinic is administered by Lucy – who grew up at All Saints’ Cathedral, and has a nurse and basic lab.

Ricky has been able to spend a couple of days at the clinic working with the nurse Grace. General practice prepared her well for most of the patients with colds, flu and backache – but mixed in were people with with measles, TB, malaria and a very poorly little lad with pneumonia and presumed underlying HIV. It was good to offer love, care and prayer to these patients, but Ricky couldn’t help wondering what impact this made to the health of the community, when open sewers run through the crowded alleyways between houses.

Early Mornings and All Saints’ Cathedral

Last Sunday was our first opportunity to enjoy the main services at the Cathedral. Andy made an early start, preaching at the 7.00 am Communion service. Ricky, Beth and Matty appeared for 9.30 am, which was still very early for them! With four services in the Cathedral on Sunday mornings there was no time to linger in the pews before or after the services, and with a further five services taking place elsewhere on site, there was considerable congestion. The 9.30 am and 11.30 am services in the Cathedral were completely packed out, even though there were separate services at the same time for teens and “youth” (aged 19 to early 30s). Andy has continued with the early morning routine for the rest of the week, taking the 7 am daily communion service each day – another practice he does not intend continuing back in Birmingham!

The Bog Blessing

Saturday saw us visiting three urban development projects that the Cathedral has supported for over 15 years. These have helped groups of people who were removed from an “informal settlement”.

At the third, most inspiring project, there were two ceremonies we have termed “blessing the bogs”. For health reasons, the community has for many years prioritised the building of pit latrine toilets and washing facilities over all other things. The latest two had been finished and the owners wanted them blessed before they were used. So Julius and Andy obliged. Needless to say, no Common Worship service book could provide a suitable set prayer!

This particular project was inspiring for the community’s vision and all that they had achieved in partnership with the Cathedral’s Urban Development Project. When the community was resettled, as well as toilets, they demanded extra wide streets “because our children will drive cars”. Over recent years they have established a community class room (also used for worship) and a resource room with books, a computer and internet access which is helping children and young people to make much greater progress with their education – such that a number are now graduates.

In the News – The Mau Forest

Top story in the local media this week is the Mau Forest, which has been a key water source for much of East Africa. Over the past 15 years much of the forest has been settled, mostly illegally, and cleared. This has been an important factor in falling water levels in rivers and lakes throughout the region. There is now a plan for the settlers to be evicted and the forest replanted, though only legal settlers would be compensated. However, it is now becoming evident that key politicians have been behind some of the illegal settling and associated dodgy land deals and local MPs are pushing for compensation for all. The forest rescue plan is therefore becoming mired in politics.

New Wine

Greetings and blessings to the group going to Shepton Mallet. This will be the first year we will have missed since 1998, so our prayers and thoughts will be with you!

The Jolleys in Kenya (2)

From 23rd July 2009

What’s the weather like?

It’s actually rather like a typical English summer, apart from the fact that we’ve only seen rain once! All the locals keep telling us how cold it is here and it amuses us to see the Kenyans all wrapped up and shivering because they are used to it being so much hotter. In fairness, it is winter in Nairobi (we are just in the southern hemisphere) and we have had to wear jumpers sometimes in the evening and first thing in the morning. However, the coolest we have been was actually after we had crossed the equator last Saturday and it had become summer again! We were at 8,000 feet above sea level at the time though.

Archbishop Eliud

The reason for crossing the equator last weekend was that we went with a group from the Cathedral to the farewell service for the new Archbishop from his old Diocese in Bungoma in the far west of Kenya. The Diocese for the Archbishop includes Nairobi Cathedral, so our host Julius and others were going as a welcoming party. It was a seven-hour minibus ride in each direction, but the journey flew by as we were treated to fantastic views of the Rift Valley and sadder views of some burnt out homes and some remaining camps for people displaced by the post-2007 election violence.

We were somewhat surprised to be greeted by Michael W Smith’s Above All Powers repeatedly ringing out over the PA when we arrived. Rather less surprising was the fact that the service started nearly two hours late, by when the sun was really beating down. After the wait, however, it began with an amazingly long procession of clergy (including Andy), Mothers’ Union and others.

The procession of welcomes and greetings that followed was almost as long – including a very brief one from Birmingham! It was fascinating to hear repeatedly of the Archbishop’s humility from so many dignitaries who seemed to enjoy the esteem and honour that they were receiving at the event. It was also heartening to hear the deputy Prime Minister encourage the new Archbishop to keep politics in the pulpit and to continue the Anglican church’s prophetic role in speaking out about corruption and injustice in Kenya.

In the News – Open the Envelope!

A couple of political issues are dominating the Kenyan media at the moment. One is what will happen about bringing to justice those thought to be behind the violence after the disputed 2007 election which left 1133 people dead and many people homeless. The “envelope” with the names of the main suspects is now with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and most Kenyans seem to want trials at the Hague. However, with several cabinet members thought to be “in the envelope” the government seems deadlocked over what to do.

Tribal thinking and identity seems to have been reinforced by these events and is now being sharpened further in the demands for justice. We‘re wondering to what extent the Anglican Church – and its national cathedral – can be a place where barriers of tribal identity can be overcome such that there is neither Kikuyu nor Kalenjin nor Luo – and also where the rich and the poor can sit together.

Back to School

On Monday Beth and Matt went back to school – during Matt’s summer holidays – at the All Saints Primary School. Don’t worry, it wasn’t Secondary School because Primary School here goes up to age 14. Beth and Matt were both in class 6, or the equivalent to year 7. They were met by a very nice teacher and taken into a classroom with a blackboard and a display at the back. There were 23 children in the class, with the same amount of desks and chairs, remarkably similar to an English classroom. Overall during the day, the standard of work was very impressive, and for the maths Beth said she even had to “use her brain a bit”.

It seemed a good idea to have brought two footballs for the kids to play with. They seemed to love them! The children were very good at sharing, with one football for boys and one for girls. The boys definitely enjoyed playing football at break! Lunch was very nice, plus all teachers were very welcoming and caring towards Matt and Beth. They both made some good friends by the end of the day, and remained the centre of attention around school for the whole day, and were the envy of all the other classes, who were standing outside the classroom for quite a lot of break and lunch. Overall, a very good day despite some initial apprehension!

Back to Medicine

While Beth and Matty were at school, Andy and Ricky had the privilege of visiting Kenyatta National Hospital- the biggest government hospital in Nairobi. We visited a few of the 60 or so wards on offer…all very humbling. The most breathtaking was the 109 mostly young men on an orthopaedic ward built for 28! That’s lots of beds crammed into each bay! The doctors and nurses clearly have the skill, but are limited by lack of equipment, and the fact that the patients cannot afford more complex treatments, so they are confined to doing the minimum. They are clearly very frustrated. The treatment is heavily subsidized by the government, but still many patients cannot pay…and cannot leave hospital until they raise the money they owe. Still there is an impressive culture that nobody is turned away – and nobody refused treatment on lack of ability to pay. Lots of very sick people, and some very heartrending stories.

The Jolleys in Kenya (1)

From 17th July 2009

Arrival in Kenya

We are now settled into Nairobi. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Happily for us we were near the front of the long, slow moving queue for visas. Eventually a second person came to help out and the line started to move more quickly. Once we had retrieved our bags we then faced customs. As I looked at the different lines, each one had people opening their cases to display their contents. “How will we ever get our cases shut again?” thought Ricky (we had used all but 1 kg of our generous baggage allowance in squeezing everything we could think of into our six bags). Cautiously we approached the next free desk. “Where will you be staying?” asked the customs lady. The moment Ricky answered “All Saints Cathedral”, we were told to pass through with our cases still firmly shut. Such is the respect accorded to the Anglican Church in Kenya.

Our hosts

Our hosts are the Very Revd Julius Wanyoike and his wife Esther, and daughters Faith and Joy. Julius has been the Provost now for just over a year. Before that he was working at St Chad’s in our Deanery of Aston while studying for his doctorate. As well as the Provost’s house in Nairobi, they have their family home at Thika, some 40km north of Nairobi. For the first 10 months of his post Julius had to commute to the cathedral each day.

We had the pleasure of visiting their home in Thika, where Esther runs a farming business. Thika is home to Del Monte’s pineapple plantations. Tea and coffee are widely grown on the surrounding hills.

All Saints’ Cathedral

All Saints is now a church of some 6,000 people. The Cathedral is a very busy place with lots of staff, activities and services. The PCC and other business sub-committees have their meetings at 7 am in the morning. I think that’s one idea I won’t be bringing home!

On our first visit to Julius’ office we were invited to sign the visitors’ book. The previous entry before ours was by the President of Kenya, Mwoi Kibaki, who had spent 7 hours at the cathedral 10 days before for the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Kenya.

The Cathedral itself is about the size of Aston Parish Church. A significant difference though is the number of flat screen TVs scattered around the walls and pillars which mean that wherever you are sitting you can clearly see the person who is leading or preaching on a screen.

A major building programme is nearing completion. This will add a 2,000 seater hall, together with a gym and health club – so the cathedral can care both for body and soul! Sadly, it won’t be finished before we leave.

Off Duty

There is a game park on the edge of Nairobi, and we spent Thursday morning and lunchtime there. Andy & Ricky were excited to see a leopard (never having seen one on our previous visits to Africa), and we had the pleasure of a close up encounter with an aged cheetah.