Speaker:  Mrs Margaret Rose

The Christian Women of Poland invite you to join them in prayer on the theme of:
‘Let our Light Shine’

The Darkest Period in her History
Poland’s history records the many invasions it has had to endure with the subsequent occupations, but Poland experienced the darkest period in her history with the Nazi invasion in 1939.  By the time the war ended in 1945 it is estimated that 6 million Poles perished in the conflict, mainly in extermination camps and through hunger and disease.  Many Poles did escape and Britain remembers many who became fearless fighter pilots.
In the years following the end of the war, the country was under Communist domination until 1989.  In the 1980s the labour union ‘Solidarity’ was born in the Baltic port of Gdansk (formerly Danzig) when a shipyard strike was called and spread to other areas.  In 1983 the Government gave in to the demands of the workers and Lech Walesa became the leader of the first independent non-Communist trade union in the Soviet bloc.  He was later to become the Polish President in 1990.  A conclusive strike in 1989 culminated in the collapse of Communism and marked the beginning of freedom for the Polish people.

Let our Light Shine
We invite you to unite yourselves with them and join in our Service.
All denominations welcome  Please join us for refreshments after the service.

4th & 18th March.  Details from Irene Ames.

FREE FIRST AID COURSE

Tuesday 8th March  9.30am – 1.30pm at Foxley Village Hall

Places are limited so it’s important to book in good time. For further information or to book a place please contact Lara Williamson 07766 863167 or Reepham Learning Community on 01603 308133

Dear Everybody, hello again.

Dan Brown, author of the runaway bestseller “The Da Vinci Code”, claimed that his book was based on fact.  It is based on the idea that a secret society, the Priory of Sion, has maintained the secret of the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, who at one time became kings of France. The “grail”, it claims, is really the bloodline of Jesus.  A number of people said on TV they believe him.

Tony Robinson, of “Time Team” fame, in a recent TV programme, demolished these claims.  As for incidental details, Dan Brown had included some which were not true or not possible – a massive database at King’s College, London, which doesn’t exist, and a particular candlestick used to bludgeon a nun (yes, it’s that kind of book) that’s too heavy to lift.

But the main idea: Robinson shows that the Grail legend didn’t exist until the 11th century, when it was invented in a romance [or novel].  The Priory of Sion and its documents are a French surrealist hoax from the 1960s.  It was though up by a journalist, a fantasist, and an actor (who later gave a forty page explanation of how it was done). 

Robinson does say that Mary Magdalene was probably more influential, both during Jesus’ earthly life and after, than later records said.  She may have had a ministry of preaching in Palestine.  Over time, the church neglected or devalued the contribution of women.  But she is always remembered as the first witness of the risen Jesus.

It’s interesting that a book that claims that Christianity is based on a suppression of the truth is itself based on a hoax.  In our world, where conspiracy theories abound, how are we to know the truth?  Where do you get your values and beliefs from?  And your facts?

God bless you this Easter

David Head
 
 

GOOD FRIDAY:  at 3pm there will be a “walk of witness” from Elsing Church to Lyng Church.  All ages and people welcome.