Reflections
17/06/2008
Visit of Sam Rotman
 On Monday 16 June 2008, Sam Rotman, international concert pianist, was at home in the United States and by midweek he was in London for a series of concerts. On Tuesday evening, however, we were privileged to have him in Freshbrook for a few hours, and were treated to a chronological tour of classical piano music with on-the-spot programme notes by the performer himself. Starting with a Scarlatti sonata, we listened to music from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, including Mozart’s famous Rondo alla Turca and Debussy’s wonderfully evocative Clair de Lune, through Chopin and Rachmaninov and ending with a suite of dances by Bela Bartok.
Mr Rotman spoke about each piece of music before he played it, but also took the opportunity to tell us about his own life. Born to Orthodox Jewish parents who fled to America to avoid the holocaust, his upbringing was religious, and he continued with this lifestyle when as a young man he attended the Juilliard School in New York. Here he spent ten hours every day practising and learning new repertoire, and it was during these years that he first met Christians and was encouraged to read the New Testament. He was gloriously saved, and despite his subsequent estrangement from his family, has dedicated his life and talent to the Lord.
At the end of the recital Mr Rotman took questions, telling us his favourite composer is Beethoven; he knows over a thousand piano works by heart; and the pinnacle of his career has been playing at the Moscow Conservatoire to a huge audience, half of whom arrived with copies of the music he was to play! He left with a challenge to play some English music in future programmes. Maybe one day we will have the opportunity to hear him do just that.
29/04/2008
Wiltshire's Apostle
 Did you know that we had an Apostle here in Wiltshire?
His name was John Cennick and he lived between 1718 and 1755. He died at only 37 years of age.
The life and work of this fascinating man was shared with us by Paul Taylor of Leicestershire who came to Freshbrook and gave us an insight into Cennick’s life. Paul has co-written a book with Peter Gentry entitled “Bold as a Lion.”
John Cennick was uneducated, possibly home schooled, did not go to University, yet preached to thousands of ordinary local folk, many of whom heard the good News of Jesus Christ for the first time and many of whom believed in Him.
He lived 100 years before the railway came to Swindon, in the era when Sir Christopher Wren was completing St Paul’s Cathedral, the Wesley brothers and Whitefield were travelling Evangelists, Sir Isaac Newton was discovering gravity, and when “there was not a Parish in England not swarming with beggars nor infested with thieves”.
He did not claim the title of Apostle for himself but it has been attributed to him over the years. It suits him well as he: Was a travelling evangelist, a Church planter, a compassionate pastor of people, and not ashamed of the Good News of Jesus Christ. He preached fearlessly and boldly where ever he went.
His first preaching engagement at the age of 21 was under a sycamore tree in Kingswood Bristol, to a crowd of ordinary folk many of whom heard the Good news for the first time and believed there and then in Jesus.
He had, at the age of 19, come to “know” Christ as his Saviour as he struggled with the fear of “hell” and had found peace through Psalm 34 v 22 “No one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him”. He was no longer afraid!
He longed to meet with Whitefield after reading one of his books on revival and did so after walking through the night to meet with him and the Wesley brothers. He gained their support and was aligned with the Methodists for the first part of his ministry.
After a trip to Saxony to visit the Estate of the Moravian, Count Nicholas Von Zinzendorf, he aligned himself with this more moderate theology.
As his father had been an Anglican, John’s theology included aspects from all three, Anglican, Methodist and Moravian.
A local tailor in Castle Coombe invited him to preach at the outdoor trading place there and a revival started in this area. He subsequently preached in places such as Langley Common, Brinkworth, Sutton Benger, Stratton St Margaret, Chippenham, Rowde, Lyneham, Devizes and Bradenstoke and through the moving of the Holy Spirit many became Christians.
Some areas of Swindon were more hostile than others and often he was shot at with muskets, pelted with mud and stones or fire-hosed. When preaching with Howell Harris one of them would take the flack whilst the other preached and then they would swap over.
John wrote many hymns through his lifetime, he was not as skilled as the Wesleys in this area (!) but he did produce several hymnbooks for use at that time. His most famous hymn revised by Charles Wesley is “Lo He comes with clouds descending” sung frequently on the BBC.
He planted from 30 - 40 Moravian Society Churches in Wiltshire and possibly over 100 in Northern Ireland where he spent parts of his life
He was married to Jane who travelled with him for the first part of their married life and then “settled” in Northern Ireland with their three girls. He died in 1755 and is buried in the Moravian Church in Chelsea.
Paul took some questions at the end of the evening and it was established that there is no specific record of exactly how many people became Christians through John’s ministry, just “many”. Also that he found lots of opposition in Northern Ireland as well as Wiltshire.
When asked “why do you think he was so brave?” Paul replied “His fearlessness came from the encouragement he felt from the Holy Spirit and his deep conviction that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Truth.
17/04/2008
An Evening with Mark Topping
“My own familiar friend”
“Faith laughs at impossibilities” C Wesley
 John and Charles Wesley are familiar names to many people, known for their thousands of miles travelling on horseback preaching to all who would hear them and for founding Methodism in the mid 1700s.
John Wesley “came to Freshbrook” one spring evening in 2008 through the acting skills of one, Mark Topping. He preached one of his brother Charles’ sermons. Families, members and friends of Freshbrook were his “crowd” and intertwined with the sermon were some highlights from Charles’ life accompanied by some of the many hymns that he wrote.
“Mark played the difference between John and Charles very well. It was very well done.” (Nathaniel, aged 12 years)
“Mark’s theatrical skills were used to their utmost as he took us on a trip into some of the key moments of Charles’ life. From a simple but effective set to a convincing costume, the moment Mark began with an extract from one of Charles’ sermons we were hooked.” (Alan Martin, age not provided!)
“Mark was funny in a good way. He had a good costume… I liked the hair!” (Nathaniel)
Charles’s sermon was taken from Ephesians 5 v 14 “Awake! Thou that sleepest. Arise from the dead. Christ shall give you light”
(i) “Awake! Thou that sleepest”
John expounded this statement in the words that Charles would have used in the 18th century explaining that a sinner is ‘one who is asleep and content to remain in his sin and dreams that he is safe …he may be religious but he has no Spirit, Truth or Life!’
John explained how Charles was a passionate preacher, unlike his own more reserved style, often accidentally throwing things from the pulpit, on one occasion it was his Bible, which was caught deftly by a surprised member of the crowd.
Charles spent some time with John in Oxford where they studied God’s word, spent time reading and in prayer, visiting the sick, poor and those in debt and earned the name Methodists ‘as if there were some method to their religion.’ He was ordained and travelled to America to preach but ill health brought him home again only five months later. On his return he realised that he had been using ‘his best endeavours to serve God’ when all along it was Faith in God that would save him not his good works. He realised that his justification came by faith!
(ii) “Arise from the dead”
“Imagine…” Charles had preached “…yourself as Peter bound between two soldiers, it is nearly morning and your execution is nigh, eternity is at hand. What state is your soul? Are you ready to stand in Gods’ sight? Is Christ in you your hope of Glory?”
Alan recalls “An event in Charles’ life that particularly struck home was his habit of visiting condemned men. At Newgate prison he was preaching to ten men, due shortly to be executed, and God laid on his soul that not a single man amongst them would be lost. Charles recalls seeing the cart, taking these men to the gallows, moving away with no fear or trepidation showing in any of them, as God had saved each one of them.”
(iii) “Christ shall give you light”
This was the final part of Charles’ sermon. ‘Whoever you are, you will not seek his face in vain. He is bound to give you light. Then you shall be able to comprehend the depth of the love of Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and that He has the power to save? Then you are justified through faith.’
Life was hard for both Wesley brothers. Their preaching and their faith often disturbed and offended people. They would be pelted with stones dirt and eggs, be moved on by constables, mobbed, hosed by fire engines, robbed by highway men and spent many hours travelling in the saddle.
“The passion for the lost that the Wesley had was evident throughout the presentation, fuelled by the revealed knowledge that drove them, ie that it is by faith and faith alone that we are saved. The evening left you thinking what would happen in Swindon if God instilled in us this kind of passion?” (Alan Martin)
“It made me think about what job I have to do for God.” (Nathaniel )
20/03/2008
Visit of George Hamilton IV
 On Wednesday 12 March 2008, George Hamilton IV, a personal friend of one of our members, paid the church a visit and in a relaxed atmosphere sang a whole range of his songs. One of our members has given us a written account of the evening: It’s difficult to put into words, to capture accurately and convey the atmosphere created in the two hour concert by the Country singer and “Megastar” George Hamilton IV.
With over 50 years of success at the top of his career and many worldwide tours, the title of International Ambassador of Country and Western is well deserved. Gentle, amusing and talented, he had an instantly warm rapport with the 270 strong audience who were made up of great Country and Western fans and some, not quite so devoted.
He opened the evening by singing some of his more famous hits, for those who recognise them, Ab
ilene, and his 1969 hit Canadian Pacific, as requested by members of the audience present. From then on through the evening, in his soft southern drawl, he used his skills in song, Scripture and poetry to paint the picture of God's brilliant plan of salvation for mankind.
George was brought up in a Christian home where going to Church and Sunday school was very important. After singing for several years with stars such as Buddy Holly and The Everley Brothers, he decided in 1959 to concentrate on Country music. He became a regular singer at the Grand ole Opry which is a stage for Gospel music sung by Country stars. When speaking to members of the audience after the concert some devotees confessed to getting up for many years at 5 am to tune into George at the Opry.
The evening was set around the well known verse in John, chapter 3 v 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. In the words of the song “God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus”, George described how from the beginning of time, God has lovingly set out to bring mankind back to Himself by sending Jesus to die in our place. From the Bible, he showed how 700 years before that act of love actually took place, Isaiah, in chapter 53, tells of the awful suffering that Jesus was to go through because of our sinfulness. He sang about him “walking this earth for 30 years” fully man yet fully God, and then suffering and dying instead of us. And after realising this “How could we reject him now?”
The audience was invited to “Put their hand in the hand of the man who stilled the sea”. Using a poem called “Trouble at A-men Corner” by Archie Campbell, he encouraged all who have put their trust in God to be loving towards one another as “We are held in the best of hands”.
Humorously pondering out loud on the criticism of Joseph of Arimathea for giving up his family tomb for Jesus after he had died on the cross, he supposed that Joseph’s retort was something like “Oh, it was nothing, He only needed it for the weekend!”. This perfectly illustrated the wonderful truth that Jesus rose again and God's plan was complete.
Much more could be written of the many songs, poems and humorous anecdotes contained in the evening including his hilarious “Forever Young” sung in the “Bob Dylan Style”. Whether a Country and Western fan or not, you could not fail to have come away from the evening feeling privileged to have heard George Hamilton IV, in person, using his 50 years of gifted skill and experience to point not to himself but to his Saviour.
Our thanks go to “Mo-reese” Rowlinson (member of Freshbrook and personal friend of George’s from working on “Mission England”) for his hard work in pulling together such an enjoyable and successful evening.
http://www.georgeiv.net/home.html
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Did you know that we had an Apostle here in Wiltshire?