The Ibiza Ibis

Alpha

YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO DO THESE COURSES!

‘ALPHA’
‘CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED’
‘THE MARRIAGE COURSE’

THIS IS WHAT PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID!

ALPHA is the best and most effective way to bring JESUS into an unbelieving world. Relevant, fun and life changing! Try it - you won’t be the same! Julia Moore

I did the ALPHA course in Ibiza some years ago and it was one of the best things I have done in my life. The relaxed atmosphere of watching videos in someone's home with the freedom of being able to speak one's mind and discuss things you couldn't freely discuss in Church was refreshing and liberating. It is important to do every week to get the full benefit and to go to the away day and the Holy Spirit day which are very powerful. I had experiences on those days that I can only put down to the power of God. Many others felt the same. I shall never forget that time. What have you got to lose?!! Jill Douglas

ALPHA. The best way to personal happiness! The very best cure! The very best start for a new lifestyle! Elke Leendertz

… before Alpha I thought I was a Christian because I said my prayers and was a believer but after doing Alpha not once but twice I realised that I never had a relationship with God or knew what it was to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and so I can really say that Alpha changed my life !! Jayne Bamber

… We were indeed a very mixed and diverse group – like a multi-faceted diamond! May I say how much I appreciated those discussions and spirited debates, believe me, we all had very lively and challenging views and I am certain we all learned to respect each other’s opinions.
Love is more than a four letter word – as we discovered. … Angie Browne

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED was developed over 10 years and is for anyone who wants to investigate Christianity in a small informal group. … It doesn’t matter if you have had Church experience or not - the best discussions will certainly arise when there are serious questioners present and their views will surely be respected!
One of our group was asking ‘Why?’ at the beginning of the course and is now asking ‘How?’ Sarah Milburn

THE MARRIAGE COURSE is to help people review their marriage/relationship if they have been together for a while. It doesn't indicate they have problems - it's a bit like a 20,000 mile/km check-up! Bob Short

See also The Es Cubells Retreat article and the Chaplain’s Message.

COURSE-STARTING SUPPER
AT CAN TRUY ON FRIDAY JANUARY 25th AT 8pm

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED
PIONEERING IN IBIZA!

I, or rather we, have just finished the first course of Christianity Explored to be used on Ibiza.
It was developed over 10 years and is for anyone who wants to investigate Christianity in a small informal group. Rico Tice introduces the course and he travels to various sites to give his poignant thoughts on who Jesus was, what his aims were, and what it means to follow him today. It doesn’t matter if you have had Church experience or not - the best discussions will certainly arise when there are serious questioners present and their views will surely be respected.
One of our group was asking ‘Why?’ at the beginning of the course and is now asking ‘How?’. I, for one, am going to miss our weekly gatherings, Rico Tice and our discussions.

THIS COURSE IS NOW IN PROGRESS ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT C'AN BAGOT.

I WAS JUST THINKING……… April 2009

Just Thinking

......

"We are one year on and yet this same article I wrote last April 2008 still applies..........I believe very strongly that something must change. We have a duty and responsibility to spread the Good News to the next generation and thus far we are failing on Ibiza. There are a large number of English Speaking children on our island and we need to find them and their parents and encourage their attendance at our Church. How can we make it more appealing to this valuable section of our island community?"

……..that as I have not moaned too much in my articles this year it was about time for a change!! Well I am not very happy actually. To be quite honest, it is because our congregation reminds me of the film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”! Where are all the English speaking CHILDREN on the island? On Mothering Sunday, when we had a shared service, we had the grand total of 2 children and 1 toddler! The two children were boys, so you can imagine their sheer delight when I singled them out to carry the flowers in baskets to all the ladies in Church that morning!! What a fabulous ‘girly job’ that was, made even more excruciating when members of their family chose to capture their moment of glory on camera!! Sorry boys, I really am! Now are we going wrong somewhere? I just think it would be so lovely to change the demographic a little that’s all. I would like to know what the parents think we could do at Church so that we become more appealing to the younger generation! We really want you to bring your children and their friends too. Ok I know they have lots of activities to go to and I am not thinking that they would come every week. However when we have a special service it would be so nice to get them involved. The AGM is on the 13th of this month and I would urge all members of the congregation with children, to share their thoughts with us on this important matter. Well I think I have made my point on that subject!! Could I just finish by adding that I am not ageist in anyway, well excluding my own 40+ deterioration which causes me great pain, it is just that I would have liked a few under 10’s to have seen Bob’s Mr. Men sermon that’s all! Lots of love from Little Miss Grumpy!
Mary Ann Taylor

May 2009

..........It is coming up to my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary next month and I shall be flying to the UK to join up with them and my sisters and their children to celebrate this amazing passage of time. Today the world seems to be about the short term and always looking for the next thing that maybe coming around the corner. Our desire to be fulfilled and happy keeps us pursuing the new, the different, the better. As human beings we never stand still and our lives are fluid like water. Ever changing, always moving, never still. This maybe Gods plan for us so that we experience all that he wants us to here on this Earth. But as we toss and turn often on turbulent seas we should remember two things. One is the anchor and the keel of the boat which is provided by many different relationships; a husband, a Mother, a friend, a sibling. We need to hold them close and dear for they are precious and necessary. The second is that we should never forget we have a Captain who will bring us safely through both calm and rough waters and deliver us to shore. Put your faith and trust in these two and everything is and will be possible. Now for a cynic like me (who from knee high was bought up to take responsibility as the eldest sibling, who was always encouraged to strive and achieve, to work harder, to make things happen, never to fail) the hardest thing is letting go. However maybe with age comes wisdom (don’t you dare say a word!!) but letting go is not a cop out, it is actually a very precise and controlled decision. Be prepared to wait as, in my experience, the result you expect is not usually instant (although the emotional relief is). However, try it and see. Put whatever is troubling you into Gods hands and let him handle it – because he will.
‘I alone know my purpose for you…’ Jeremiah Ch 29 V 11
MaryAnn Taylor

GENERATIONS
Man At The Back

Do you ever hear voices in your head? Perhaps the time has come to see a psychiatrist, or just maybe the Supreme Being is speaking to you with a special mission. You can always tell the difference; if you do not fall into the category of raving lunatic then you will probably discern that most of your thoughts are directed towards your own life, interests and personal daily plans. The latter voice concerns things of God, that is, things you would never even dream of thinking up and perhaps something you instantly dismiss as too saintly or weird. The question is “Do you follow up on what God is whispering in your ear?”.
Quite often we do not obey this voice because we don’t want to, it is fairly different from our voice which clearly tells us what actions we should or shouldn’t take. The voice of God is, at least for me, a subtle yet challenging entreaty of the soul, neither pushy nor nagging but always authoritative and unremitting. I shall hereby give you an example;
I was drawn to a shop which dealt in alternative therapies and the like, Reiki, acupuncture and so on. I sensed that I had to go in this shop and say something to the girl who was in charge. I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t bother going in. One week later, unable to get this out of my mind, I returned to this place and entered the aforementioned establishment without really knowing why I was going in. I was trying to work out some impressive theology in my mind which would debunk the whole alternative therapy philosophy and thus emancipate the shop assistant from her spiritual slavery. Instead the conversation went like this;
“Err, hello. Err, I have a short message for you”
“What´s that then?”
“Jesus loves you”
“Jesus?!” (Jesus is a normal everyday Spanish name for men!)
“The Lord!, He loves you and wants you to believe it!”
What happened next took me by surprise. Thinking she was going to punch me in the nose or eject me from the shop she came from behind the counter, hugged me and gave me a peck on the cheek. I didn’t say any more except goodbye. It seemed to have made her day, it certainly made mine. When you think God is speaking just do what he says. Follow this test; if it’s wrong you’ll know it, if it’s right you’ll probably doubt yourself and your own sanity, so what have you got to lose.

WHY READ THE BIBLE?

A GUIDE THROUGH LIFE
The Bible is given to us by God, to guide us through life.
When we are on a car journey, following road signs and obeying their warnings keeps us safe. In the same way, obeying the instructions for living, that God gives us in the Bible, will guard us against making a mess of our lives, and keep us safe in God's care.

HELPING YOU THROUGH TOUGH TIMES
When we need comfort and strength, God's messages in the Bible can be a special help.

When I am afraid	Isaiah 12:2
When I am angry	Ephesians 4:32
When I am discouraged	Joshua 1:9
When I am not sure what to do	Proverbs 3:5-6
When I wonder if I am a Christian	Romans 10:13
When I am disappointed	Romans 8:28
When I am tempted	1 Corinthians 10:13
When I need forgiveness	1 John 1:9
When I am lonely	Hebrews 13:5
When I need God’s help	Hebrews 4:15-16

HELPING YOU AVOID PITFALLS
There are many pitfalls in life-situations which, if not handled right, will cause us problems.
God can warn us about them through the Bible.
By reading it every day, we can become alert to such dangers.
For example, we can see the mistakes that people in the Bible have made, and learn from them.

JOURNALS OF A ROMAN SOLDIER III
MICHAEL HICKEY

JOURNALS OF A ROMAN SOLDIER VI
(AD 67)

The years pass and I grow old in the Roman service. Very soon I shall retire with my Samaritan wife – nearly forty years since we wed – to my father’s old vineyard back in Italy. I have continued to keep an eye on the emerging Christian Church as it struggles for survival not only against groups like the Zealots but because of dissension within the ranks. It must have been hard on the early disciples when Christ, who had appeared among them frequently in the months following his crucifixion, was taken mysteriously from them. He had apparently assured them that this was ‘His Father’s wish’ but after this, having been convinced that he would return in triumph to set up the New Kingdom and drive us Romans out, they slowly realised that the creation of the Kingdom now lay firmly with them. Old Peter, strong and impetuous, kept their morale up but it was Saul, now known as Paul, who turned out to be the brilliant creator of the new Church’s doctrine. Several of my agents will follow this up ; Paul and Peter have already travelled widely and I shall report on their journeys.
Most immediate, however, is the crisis in Judaea, where the new Procurator – one Gessius Flora – went too far last year and demanded a huge amount of gold from the Temple. This triggered off a huge revolt. Florus lost control as mobs stormed through the streets to capture the Temple Mount, armed with weaponry looted from the great fortress of Massada. Florus escaped but his troops didn’t and were massacred, poor fellows, to a man; many of them had been my young recruits of thirty years ago. So the Syrian garrison, a full legion under Governor Cestius Gallus, marched south from Antioch; his incompetent generalship led to a resounding defeat at the hands of the rebel army, which is preparing for the inevitable Roman counter-stroke under General Vespasian, appointed by emperor Nero to wreak a terrible vengeance on Jewry.

Letters to Editor LETTERS

Thank you for all your Christmas letters and info. We moved from Horsham in November to a large house (Rickmansworth, Herts) with 2 sets of stairs but we had to have a large garage for a great deal of my daughter’s furniture and for a small amount of mine. The dog Jasper has to go through my bedroom to get into the garden.
Thank everyone for all their messages…My walking is not good as I have to sit down most of the time, and my body and hands are constantly shaking. Reading and T.V and a little sewing is all I do…You are in my prayers but I can’t get to Church as I feel I can’t sit all the service but I have an instrument from Age Concern and necklace if I am in trouble…You and the Church are always in my prayers.
Lots of love, from Joanne (Squire).

From the Ex-Editor of the Ibis

Dear Members of the English-Speaking Church on Ibiza and Formentera and all readers of the Ibiza Ibis,
I have been trying recently to send a message of thanks to all those people who have made my editorial life easier (well at times anyway!), by writing such great articles and for sending in other pieces for the Ibiza Ibis over the last few years. However, I found that my memory was so very bad that I thought I had better write to everyone in the magazine and then that should cover the lot!
My job, and the magazine, was made much more interesting and even easier (or was it harder?) as all the articles and advertising started to come in and I had to begin to add more and then more pages – which you might have noticed always come in multiples of four! Forgive me if I have not been very patient with some-people who don't understand ‘300 words’; somehow I have failed miserably to teach them to use the ‘word count’ tool. If there was a star scheme for every précis I have done, the night sky would never be dark again.
Deadlines are a different thing! A deadline is defined in the dictionary as:

A line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot
a) A date or time before which something must be done. b) The time after which copy is not accepted for a particular issue of a publication.

It seems very clear to me. There are a certain number of people who may never have understood this! Please read, mark, learn and inwardly digest this. Some understand and stick to it and if they miss a deadline don’t send anything, halleluiah! (Except when most had missed the date and I got nothing!) Others smiled or even laughed when I mentioned the word and would send something extremely late even arriving on printing day! My personal definition of ‘deadline’ is one word ‘STRESS’! Woe betides any who ignore a deadline under the new regime! Caron does not need any extra stress!
Without our wonderful advertisers there would never have been a 16 page magazine let alone a 20 page one. I do trust that at some stage you will be in need of something or other from them and you will not even consider ringing anyone else! The Ibiza Ibis would still be on four pages if it wasn’t for them, so an extremely massive thank you.
One thing that was initiated during my editorship was sending the Ibiza Ibis out by email. This is appreciated so much by those who are away from here for long periods or have had a close connection to the island, but can also keep people in touch when they are laid up or just cannot get to Church for one reason or another. I have received an enormous amount of encouragement and gratitude from those that receive it that way and I cannot thank them enough for keeping me going!
Thank you also to the readers – without you all we would not have needed a magazine in the first place!
God bless you all in the coming years.
Sarah Milburn

Muller

OBITUARIES

Some of you may have known Bob and Pat Hawkins who live down near the first roundabout into San Antonio on the San José road. Sadly Bob passed away on his sleep on August 23rd leaving Pat and about 20 dogs in her care.

Bob was church warden for some years during the time that the Mallorca Chaplain used to come over once a month to take services in San Antonio Church. They wopuld put the Chaplain up for the night and Bob was involved in conducting funerals and other jobs associated with being a Chaplain until he handed over to Arthur Wells when "Holy Joe" arrived as a permanent Chaplain. In recent years he was not very well and we often used to see them making their way down to the Boulevard Café every morning but he was really unable to get out very much.

TREASURERS REPORT

I had hoped to have some figures for the first issue of 2009, but time has been very much against me – too much going on everywhere, and the usual chaos of getting Christmas organised, so this is just a general overview of what a treasurer does (or anyway what this treasurer tries to do). It is not just a case of balancing the books, but checking that all due payments are made on time, and that the accounts are put into the official programme so that they can be audited at the end of the year.
One of the difficulties which faces this treasurer is that, much as I would like to, I find it almost impossible to come up with a budget (you know, those columns of figures showing income and expenditure which are so popular in financial circles) – how can you budget when you have no idea of what your income is going to be? I can more or less calculate the expenses (last year’s plus a percentage rise to reflect increased prices etc.), but income? Well that is another matter altogether, even collections vary quite considerably from one year to another, as do donations and all the other ways in which we obtain our income. Incidentally, many thanks to those of you who are now making regular bank transfers to the Chaplaincy account, and please let me have your full details (name, address, ID / Residencia / Passport number) so that I can “declare” these donations to the tax office and they can be set against your tax returns.
On the subject of “other sources of income” I would like to thank all our industrious fund raisers, they make all the difference to keeping us solvent, and may I please ask that more of you do some fundraising? It doesn’t have to be a huge extravaganza: coffee mornings, car boot sales, or bring and buys are a great help if done on a regular basis, so please put your thinking caps on and see what you can do in the coming year.
Finally, thank you all for your continued support and prayers and best wishes for a happy, healthy, wealthy and above all blessed 2009.

Sally Kennedy – Treasurer.

IBIS EDITOR’S COMMENT
Editor Apart from enjoying my new role as editor of the Ibiza Ibis, I am also enjoying the new company and friendship that has come with it. So many people have approached me, not only to congratulate me but to encourage me too. Not only do people contact me in person but also I have received many emails from friends or members of the Church that live in other parts of the world. Some of these people I already knew but many were strangers to me, now they’re not! All these new acquaintances are making the work of putting together the Ibiza Ibis not a challenge but a privilege. Thank you all so much, keep sending in those articles!
Caron

LAST UPDATED May 4th 2009

STEVEN TAYLOR

City&GuildsUK - General Builder - Professional & reliable