Hope christmas magazine 2016 by HOPE Together

CHRISTMAS MARY BERRY

FOOD FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS DEBT-FREE – A FAMILY’S STORY OF HOPE GOALS AND UNEXPECTED GLORY MY GREATEST ADVENTURE – BEAR GRYLLS

GREAT GIVEAWAYS TO BE WON! Inspiring stories to lift your spirits

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CHRISTMAS

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CONTENTS HOPE

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Welcome to Christmas HOPE

4 Food for family and friends – a taste of Mary Berry’s recipe for life 8 Sharon’s Christmas surprise – how one family found hope after tragedy plunged them into debt

This special give-away magazine is a gift from your local church. We hope you’ll be encouraged, informed and challenged by the mix of inspirational stories.

10 My greatest adventure – action hero and TV star Bear Grylls asks ‘What does it take to live a life of adventure?’

As you read through Christmas HOPE, you will notice a thread running through all the articles. They each point to the hope found in Jesus. Celebrity cook Mary Berry, TV adventurer Bear Grylls, astrophysicist David Wilkinson, film-maker Toby Thomas, Sharon – a grandma near Wigan, Premier League footballers Benik Afobe, Max Gradel, Marc Pugh and Junior Stanislas, plus Her Majesty the Queen all have one thing in common. They are all Christians. As the Queen has said: ‘I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.' Two thousand years ago Wise Men looked for Jesus and found him. You too can find him today. Ask the person who gave you this magazine, your local church or visit www.christianity.org.uk to find out more.

13 A royal Christmas quiz – the Queen celebrated her 90th birthday this year, What do you know about her? 14 Meet the Cast – enjoy this cartoon re-telling of the story at the heart of Christmas 19 Heavenly signposts – astrophysicist David Wilkinson considers the Bethlehem star 20 Welcome home – ‘I’ve never been happier.’ Photographer and film-maker Toby Thomas tells his story 22 Goals and unexpected glory – a glimpse behind the scenes at the Premier League football club AFC Bournemouth

Have a great Christmas and a hope-filled New Year.

26 Great giveaways – bag a cookbook by Mary Berry, one of two children’s books by Bear Grylls, a great carols CD, or a gift book about the Queen

Roy Crowne, Executive Director, HOPE

27 Christmas No.1 – This year the carol Silent Night is 200 years old and it’s one of the world’s favourites. What’s your top carol?

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Christmas HOPE is published by HOPE in partnership with CPO and Every Home for Christ. Visit www. ChristmasHope.org to apply for our giveaways online, and for videos and Christmas quiz questions.

Cover stories

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CHRISTMAS CELEBRITY

FOOD FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS Catherine Butcher explores Mary Berry’s recipe for life Britain’s baking icon Mary Berry is back on our TV screens this festive season with two Bake Off Christmas specials featuring favourite contestants from the show’s history. The Bake Off star has come a long way from campfire cooking with friends as a child. As a newly-wed in her first home she even cooked balancing a pan on a two-bar electric fire to boil or fry. Highly dangerous, she says. Not something to try at home! The Great British Bake Off regularly attracts massive audiences over 10 million, with Mary and co-presenter Paul Hollywood judging the success of tricky technical bakes and stunning showstoppers concocted by competitors in a TV studio kitchen in a giant tent. Mary attributes her success in the kitchen to an inspiring Domestic Science teacher at Bath High School, nick-named ‘Datie’. She writes in her autobiography Recipe for Life, ‘One of the main reasons I love cooking is the “oohs” and “aahs” that a wonderful plate of food can inspire. To be able to put a smile on a loved one’s face with something you’ve created from scratch is incredibly rewarding – especially for someone like me, who had been a total disappointment in all other areas of my schooling.’ Inspired by her success at cooking, she went on to train at the Bath College of Domestic Science. Her career started at the South Western Electricity Board. When customers bought their first electric cooker, Mary’s role was to spend an 4

Photo: © Love Productions 2016/ Mark Bourdillon

hour at the customer’s home demonstrating how the cooker worked. She has been demonstrating cookery to growing audiences ever since. Throughout her career she has tested her dishes on family members, sometimes using photos from her own kitchen in her books – she has written more than 80 cookbooks with more than six million copies in print. This year she published Family Sunday Lunches. ‘My husband Paul’s eyes always light up when it’s Sunday lunch’ she says. ‘It means the young or friends are coming and there’s bound to be a pudding!’ Sunday lunch for Mary is ‘all about being at home with family or friends; having a relaxed, delicious lunch followed by a seasonal walk’. Meals together are especially important during the festive season, Mary says:

CELEBRITY HOPE

‘Christmas to me is a time for celebration, for family, for laughter and good food.’ Until her father died, Mary, her husband Paul and their children, always spent Christmas with her parents in Bath and the extended family. She paints an idyllic picture of these special occasions: ‘We would always drive to Bath on Christmas Eve, the car overflowing with children, Granny Mop (Paul’s mother), the dog and presents. Once everyone had arrived, we always had Granny’s famous Fish Pie for supper and then would gather round to sing carols, before heading off to Midnight Service at Charlcombe Parish Church. But Mary’s life has not always been ‘sugar and spice and all things nice’! As she told viewers tuning in to ‘Mary Berry's Easter Feast’ earlier this year, her 19-year-old son William died in a car accident in 1989. Mary says it was her Christian faith that sustained her through the tragedy: ‘William’s death deepened my faith; without its support, I really would have struggled.’ When Mary was at church as usual on the Sunday after his death, she noticed a memorial plaque on the wall commemorating the death of three brothers in the First World War. Wondering how their mother could have coped losing three sons, Mary said, ‘After seeing that memorial I would never dream of asking “Why me?” Instead, I just tried to focus on how lucky I was still to have the other two.’ Their Christian faith also sustained Mary’s son Thomas and his wife Sarah when they were expecting twins – Mary’s first grandchildren. Tests showed there were problems with one of the babies. The initial diagnosis suggested the baby would not live for more than 24 hours. This proved to be wrong, but the signs were that one of the babies would be born

with Down’s syndrome. Thomas’s response was: ‘Isn’t it lucky that this baby is coming into our family?’ The couple’s twin girls Grace and Abby were born completely healthy. Mary says, ‘Thomas and Sarah are both strong Christians and I know that their faith was a particular comfort to them during this time.’ Although Mary doesn’t talk much about her beliefs, faith and family as well as food are all part of her recipe for life. This Christmas the BBC says goodbye to the Great British Bake Off, but we are sure to see more of Mary on our screens in the future as she continues to inspire us with her classic family fare. We have five copies of Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches to give away to readers this Christmas. For details see page 26.

Chocolate squares to give away Use Mary Berry’s simple chocolate squares recipe on page 6 from Family Sunday Lunches to bake a tasty treat to give to neighbours, family, friends and colleagues this Christmas.

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CHRISTMAS RECIPE

CELEBRITY HOPE

Mary Berry's wicked chocolate squares with ganache sauce Makes 30 Squares • 300g (10oz) butter, cubed • 300g (10oz) Bournville chocolate, broken into pieces • 300g (10oz) light muscovado sugar • 4 large eggs • 100g (4oz) self-raising flour Ganache Sauce • 150g (5½ oz) Bournville chocolate, broken into pieces • 200ml ( pint) pouring double cream

Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5. Grease and line a traybake tin or a small roasting tin about 30cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) with foil or parchment paper. Measure the butter and chocolate into a bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water and gently melt together until smooth. Set aside. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until blended. Pour in the melted butter and chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Sieve in the flour and mix well. Pour into the lined tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until a light crust has formed on the top and the middle is set. Meanwhile, to make the ganache sauce, measure the chocolate and

cream into a bowl, sit it over a pan of gently simmering water and stir until melted. Cut the cake into squares and pour the ganache sauce over the top to serve. TO PREPARE AHEAD Can be made a day ahead. Sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead. Both freeze well cooked for up to 3 months. TO COOK IN THE AGA Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold sheet on the second set of runners for about 20 minutes. Transfer the now hot cold sheet into the simmering oven and sit the cake on top and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Recipe from Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches, published by Headline, out now. Photo: Georgia Glynn Smith

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CHRISTMAS FAMILY FESTIVITIES

FAMILY FESTIVITIES HOPE

CAP team members delivering a Christmas hamper

Sharon with her grandchildren

How one family found hope after tragedy Just before Christmas, tragedy struck for Sharon when her daughter, Sylvie, died. Just weeks later Slyvie’s partner committed suicide. He couldn’t cope without her. Heartbroken, Sharon took in her two orphaned grandchildren, but this meant giving up one of her jobs, which then plunged her into debt. ‘As Christmas drew near I started to panic,’ Sharon explained. ‘I went to a doorstep lender to borrow £500. It was the wrong thing to do, but at the time it seemed right. The children had suffered a big tragedy. I just wanted to make the first Christmas without their parents as painless and as happy a time as I possibly could.’ But as her debt grew, Sharon said, ‘I did start to struggle. I was making myself ill. I wasn’t capable of sorting it out myself. The 8

days became darker and the worry became unbelievable. There were times when we’d all end up crying; times when I was on my knees praying for a miracle.’ When Sharon met Angela, a debt counsellor with CAP (Christians Against Poverty), she said, ‘I felt straight away that this is what I needed.’ CAP weren’t going to pay her debts, but their goal was to teach Sharon how to become debt-free.

Sharon’s granddaughter Lily. Her first words when they opened the hamper were: ‘Can I eat the chocolate Santa now?’

The family’s Christmas took a turn for the better when Angela arrived with a gift of a Christmas hamper. ‘I just burst into tears,’ Sharon said. ‘It was such a beautiful expression of love from people. And the children were speechless. It was just magic. It really was!’ When they were opening the hamper, Sharon’s grandson Joshua, who was 11 at the time, started singing Christmas songs. ‘It was something he had not done for a long, long time,’ Sharon said. ‘I felt that we were finally able to bring closure on the dark days.’ As well as providing a comprehensive and professional debt counselling service, people at CAP express their Christian faith by offering to pray with clients; 95% say yes, and most clients say they really appreciate it. Many talk about feeling a sense of peace, others talk about a glimmer of hope. CAP founder John Kirkby says, ‘As God’s people we bring his joy and hope into the darkness. Not only did our debt coaches offer Sharon a real way out of debt but they were able to make Christmas special by providing a Christmas hamper paid for by supporters.’ Sharon is now debt-free and through the practical love and care from CAP’s partner church in Leigh, she has become a Christian and has been baptised. The family say that every day feels like a new beginning. CAP works with people like Sharon helping them to get on top of their finances. The charity was started by John Kirkby in Bradford

in 1996. He believed God was calling him to give up his career in finance and use his knowledge of the industry to help people crippled by debt, parents who couldn't feed their children, families facing eviction, and desperate people living in fear and without hope. He used his expertise to negotiate with creditors, set up budgeting systems and offer a lifeline to those trapped in debt. Since then, CAP has grown its debt centre network and expanded its services to tackle the causes of debt and poverty. As well as CAP Debt Help, the charity now helps people into employment through CAP Job Clubs. There’s help for people to get control of their addictions through CAP Release Groups and CAP Life Skills, to equip people to live well on a low income. CAP’s vision is to open 1,000 CAP projects by 2021. There are currently 576 centres based in local churches throughout the UK. In 2016, CAP’s 20th year, the charity expects to help 20,000 people. Despite the impressive statistics, they are keen to focus on individuals, emphasising that every person who comes to CAP has their own unique story, like Sharon’s Christmas hamper surprise.

This Christmas, you could surprise a family in need by giving a CAP hamper. Find out more at www.capuk.org/christmas

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CHRISTMAS ACTION HERO

My greatest adventure... Life is an adventure that is best lived boldly, says action hero and TV star Bear Grylls What does it take to live a life of adventure? It’s a question explored by action-hero Bear Grylls, who has become a role model for would-be adventurers everywhere. He took former US President Barack Obama on a trip to the Alaskan wilderness. His celebrity adventure shows have aired on Channel 4 in the UK and as far afield as China. His live-action stadium show toured Britain and Ireland earlier this year using storytelling, aerial stunts and high-tech special effects, to capture what it’s like to climb the heights of Everest, explore freezing Antarctica, delve into shark-infested waters and brave humid jungles. For armchair audiences it’s all virtual reality. For Bear Grylls, the challenges and dangers are death-defying and all very real. Bear Grylls’ love of adventure began in childhood on the Isle of Wight. His late father, MP Sir Michael Grylls, gave him the taste for the great outdoors. ‘Dad was a very cosy, gentle father and he was the one who taught me to climb and to love adventure. It brought us close and I loved it. It was never about the climbs but about that closeness and I feel that a lot now when I go on an adventure with my boys.’ 10

ACTION HERO HOPE

estimated 40 million Scouts worldwide. ‘The reason why Scouting remains the largest youth group in the world is that it’s got great core values: it’s about faith, it’s about friendship, it’s about fun – it’s all part of what we wanted when we grew up,’ says Bear. When is comes to adventure, he says, ‘The first step is always the hardest. That’s the one that takes the most courage. I’ve learned not to run from that fear and just do it.’ That persevering attitude has seen him climb Mount Everest after he recovered from a broken back; cross the North Atlantic on an inflatable boat; and survive in crocodileinfested swamps in Indonesia. In Living Wild his handbook for Scouts he says, ‘It is through faith that we find peace, but that same faith can also give us great boldness to reach out that little bit further than maybe we are comfortable. Everything worthwhile in life comes from reaching beyond that point of comfort; daring to risk it all; following our dreams despite the

cost; loving despite the pain; hoping despite the doubts; and living boldly despite the fear … life is an adventure that is best lived boldly.’ Finding a simple faith to empower his life, Bear says, has been his greatest adventure. ‘Life is a journey and at times we all need a guide. For me that guide has become much more than simply a pointer of the way. He has become my backbone, my helper, my companion and my friend.’ Quoting from the Bible he explains, ‘Jesus said, “I have come so that you may have life and have it in abundance.” ‘That was a bit of an eye-opener for me,’ he adds. ‘I always thought that Christianity was about being very sensible and acting all smart and religious. But the more I discovered about Jesus Christ himself, the more I found a man who was as unreligious as you can imagine… It seemed that the very heart of the Christian faith was not about church, pulpits, sermons or Latin verse! It was about a relationship with someone who promises us life in abundance, joy within, peace without and freedom in our soul. Now I was interested!’ Bear Grylls is a spokesperson for Alpha - a global invitation to explore faith. Find out more at www.alpha.org.

We have 10 copies of these books by Bear Grylls to give away - see page 26. Bear and his wife Shara have three sons, Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry. Like father, like son, he aims to pass on his passion for adventure to his boys. In his book To My Sons he writes: ‘Aim to live a wild, generous, full, exciting life – blessing those around you and seeing the good in all. Follow your dreams – they are God-given.’ And it’s not just his own children who are learning from his example. As the youngestever Chief Scout, Bear is a role-model to an Photos: Scout Association

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CHRISTMAS FAMILY FESTIVITIES

QUIZ HOPE

A Royal Christmas quiz On Christmas Day millions of people around the globe tune in to the Queen’s annual broadcast to the Commonwealth. This year’s broadcast is likely to feature film footage from Her Majesty’s birthday celebrations. The Queen’s 90th birthday in June prompted hours of television, acres of newspaper articles and dozens of new books marking this significant milestone. More than a million copies of The Servant Queen And The King She Serves were given away by churches to celebrate the royal birthday. This beautifully illustrated short book uses the Queen’s own words to draw out the central role of her trust in Jesus Christ. Her Majesty wrote the foreword to this unique tribute published by HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. What have you learned from this year’s royal birthday reports?

1. When did the Queen say: ‘I declare

before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service…’ ?

2. Who normally feeds the Queen’s dogs?

3. What is the symbol which is most prominent on the crown, sceptre and orb used in the Coronation?

4. During the Coronation the Queen

was given ‘the most valuable thing that this world affords’. What was it?

A very special book for the year of the Queen’s 90th birthday. Ideal gift for friends and family. Including a foreword by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Only £5. Other gifts also available, including this celebration mug. Exclusively from cpo.org.uk/thequeen

5. The Royal Sceptre includes what is believed to be the world’s largest diamond. What is it called?

6. Which comedian asked the Queen for her Cup Final tickets?

7. Which year did the Queen describe as an ‘Annus Horribilis’?

8. In what year did the Queen make her film debut as a Bond girl?

9. In 2014 who did the Queen describe as ‘an inspiration and an anchor in my life’?

10. The Queen has broadcast a

Christmas message every year since her coronation except one? Which year?

Answers on page 26

We have 20 copies of The Servant Queen And The King She Serves to give away. Find out more on page 26 or order copies from www.cpo.org.uk/thequeen.

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CHRISTMAS NATIVITY STORY

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CHRISTMAS STAR SIGN

Astrophysicist David Wilkinson considers the Bethlehem star

STAR SIGN HOPE

The star of Bethlehem is intriguing to me as both a Christian theologian and as a scientist trained in astrophysics. It has been argued that it was a comet, or a time when a number of planets appeared to be together in the night sky, or an exploding star called a supernova. Unfortunately the Bible itself does not give quite enough data for us to be sure. And I don’t want to rule out that it could have been a miraculous act of God out of the ordinary processes of the universe. What is interesting is that the star only raised the curiosity of the Magi. It didn’t in the end lead them to Jesus. Matthew in his Gospel is quite clear that it was only when they consulted the scriptures that they knew how to interpret the sign in the heavens. My own experience as a scientist in astrophysics has not been too different. There are things in the universe which intrigue not just me as a person of Christian faith, but many others about the big questions of the purpose of the universe. I see a number of significant pointers in the universe, such as the beauty and intelligibility of the laws of physics, the extraordinary balances in law and circumstance which make possible carbonbased life, and the sense of awe that we feel when we see the diversity and simplicity of the universe.

Now I don’t think these provide proofs of the existence of God, but for many – whether they have religious faith or not – they are pointers to a deeper story in the universe than just the scientific story. However, the main evidence does not come from science. It comes from the evidence of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, which for me can only be explained by the Christian belief that here in Jesus was God himself walking in the space history of the universe. At the heart of my Christian faith is the conviction and the experience that God has revealed himself supremely in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth – and I encounter him in the Bible and in my day to day experience.

Astrophysicist and theologian David Wilkinson is Principal of St John’s College, Durham University. He has PhDs in theoretical astrophysics and in systematic theology and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. One of Jesus’ first followers, a tax collector called Matthew, also wrote about the Bethlehem star. You can read his account in the Bible: Matthew chapter 2 verses 1-12.

Photo: Markus Oblander / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock

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CHRISTMAS INTERVIEW

HOPE

E M O C L WE HOME ‘I’ve never been happier.’ Photographer and filmmaker Toby Thomas tells his story As soon as Toby could earn his keep he left home. His mum had brought up her two children on her own. She had made lots of sacrifices. But he felt like a burden. As a 16-year-old, he said ‘My first mission was to distance myself from them as fast as possible. It was in college that I found my first group of friends; the first people that I really felt close to.’ Music was what brought them close. Getting together with 300 other hardcore music fans, screaming at the top of their voices, was a kind of therapy, Toby says. Then ‘A couple of bands came on the scene singing the same sorts of songs – but there was something different; something I’d never heard before.’ He watched videos of the band members. They talked about their music, but also their faith. ‘I really started to wonder who God was.’ Toby comes from a music background so started to tour with bands and went to play at a festival in the south of France. ‘I remember playing and sun going down. It was an absolutely perfect moment.’ But after the show, he went back to his hotel room feeing empty. He began to look in earnest for the band that he’d heard. He 20

THE LOST SON GOES HOME The Bible records a story Jesus told 2000 years ago, which describes God’s response to people who say “Yes” to Jesus. The story is about a son who demands his inheritance from his father and leaves home. He lives a wild life. But when the money runs out, he comes to his senses…

wanted to hear them live. He was surprised to find that they were at a church, but he went along. ‘I walked in and it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I remember seeing a big ‘Welcome Home’ sign and hearing amazing music.’ ‘I realised that everyone in the room had been affected by the same thing. I came back every week. Not quite understanding it. I never really thought about what it was to give my life to Jesus – what it even meant. But one day it became really clear. I felt my heart saying “Yes” to that. Ever since that day my life’s been completely different. ‘There’s this word “Emmanuel” which means “God with us”. I think that’s the big difference. I feel like I’m in a relationship with the living God. I don’t feel like the Bible is a history book; it’s something that applies to now. It’s not like I don’t feel sad sometimes; that things aren’t hard. But I feel God loves me and that he cares for me. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.’ Watch Toby tell his story at www.ChristmasHope.org. To see more stories like this, download the free app 'yesHEis'.

‘He said, “All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.” He got right up and went home to his father. ‘When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: “Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.” ‘But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, “Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here – given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!”’ The story of the lost son, is told by Luke, a first century doctor who wrote Jesus’ story. Find it in Luke 15:11-32 in The Message version of the Bible. www.christmashope.org

CHRISTMAS SPORT

SPORT HOPE

GOALS AND 1 UNEXPECTED GLORY 1

Life-long AFC Bournemouth fan Adrian Butcher gets a glimpse behind the scenes at the Premier League club with the Cherries’ chaplain Andy Rimmer It is a modern day miracle – fantasy football come to life. The unlikely rise of AFC Bournemouth from the lower reaches of English football to the Premier League captured the imagination of people around

the world – and not just fans of the ‘Beautiful Game’. Guided by a dynamic young manager, Eddie Howe, little Bournemouth had hit the big time. The club’s chaplain, Revd Andy Rimmer, has had a unique view of an incredible decade that has seen the club in the doldrums, flirting with extinction and now rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. He has steadily built up a rapport with people across the club, winning respect but never hiding his faith. www.christmashope.org

CHRISTMAS SPORT

‘I see myself as a pastoral, spiritual safety net,’ he explains. ‘I am there for the players, the staff, their families and the supporters. As a chaplain, you are there to be the God person. I am not a counsellor or a psychologist. I am there to bring something of faith. I am like a dad or a friend.’ Some might question what a vicar is doing at a football club at all. Doesn’t he have a church to look after? Surely those overpaid players are mollycoddled enough? God and football just don’t mix, right? Andy points out that about 75 clubs in the English game have a chaplain. It’s a growing phenomenon. No one would criticize the work of, say, a prison chaplain, so why criticise work with footballers, he argues. And chaplains have been around football clubs for a long time. ‘Yes, football is a bizarre and different world but if you don’t have the whisper of God from a chaplain, how else will it be heard? ‘Football clubs are not brilliant people places. They talk about being communities – but it is really a results business. So they recognize that it is good to have someone here who can look out for people.’ Andy was chaplain at Portsmouth before coming to Bournemouth. A number of players 24

at the Hampshire club became Christians while he was there. Now a clutch of the current Bournemouth squad are open about their Christian faith: Benik Afobe, Max Gradel, Marc Pugh and Junior Stanislas. From the others, there is no hostility. They appreciate Andy’s time and listening ear, especially when things are more difficult – for instance, when they have longterm injuries or are out of the team. ‘Sometimes my role is to bring a bit of perspective to the football bubble. I ask them about life, relationships. As they get older and have families, they realise life is about more than just football.’ Andy is at the club once in the week and on home match days. ‘I go in every Tuesday, for four hours. I am there when the players arrive for breakfast. If we have lost, I will take in some chocolates. I visit the injured and chat to them and talk to the staff. I also organize a monthly prayer meeting for the club. We just go out to a local café together.’ Andy is at the heart of pre-match preparation on a Saturday leading five minutes' prayer for staff and players 75 minutes before kick off.

SPORT HOPE

‘I never pray for the result, but for the game and for the guys themselves,’ he says. ‘I pray against injury and that the players will use their Godgiven talent to glorify him. I’ll read a Bible verse, mention Jesus and we will have a time of reflection. There are usually five or six people there. Often most of them aren’t Christians.’ Lifelong fans of the Cherries are still pinching themselves. Those of us who have seen them lose in the last minute at Rochdale, surrender at Shrewsbury or cave in on a damp night in Crawley can scarcely believe our side are in the Premier League never mind that they beat Chelsea and Manchester United last season. When Andy joined Bournemouth in 2007 they were struggling on and off the pitch. The following season they were relegated to League 2 – and with a points deduction because they’d gone into administration. Relegation to non-league looked certain. AFC Bournemouth seemed doomed. It was then that Eddie Howe was appointed manager, aged just 31. Against the odds, he kept the club in the league. In the years that

followed, he has led them to three promotions. Andy believes the ethos Eddie has instilled – based in part on the ideas of US basketball coach, John Wooden – has been central to the club’s success. ‘There is an amazing kinship at the club. It is built on the principles of hard work, character, perseverance… Biblical principles really.’ Andy says no one at Bournemouth really believed they could climb higher than the Championship – a level they’d reached for only three years in their history. But, on a Monday night in April 2015, a goal by Marc Pugh set them on the road to victory against Bolton and virtually guaranteed promotion to the Premier League. Cue disbelief and joy, champagne and celebration – and worldwide media attention. There will be a different sort of celebration at the Vitality Stadium on 6 December when players, families, staff and fans gather for the annual Carol Service. Andy hopes more than 1,500 will attend. ‘I’d love as many as possible to come along,’ he says. ‘I love this club to pieces. It will be a great night, celebrating Christmas.’

Photos: TGSPhoto/REX/Shutterstock/ AFC Bournemouth

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CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAYS

CHRISTMAS CAROLS HOPE

5 great giveaways worth £500+ Bag an inspiring book or CD. Just fill in the form below and tick your preference. You could be a winner!

Family Sunday Lunches In Family Sunday Lunches (Headline) Mary Berry brings together the classics and her own family favourites to create this invaluable all-year-round cookbook. 5 x books

Bear Grylls' Spirit of the Jungle From real-life adventurer Bear Grylls, Spirit of the Jungle (Macmillan) is an exciting contemporary action adventure for readers age 10+ inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book. The modern-day novel for readers age 10+ features a teenage hero Mak, stranded in the jungle when his boat capsizes. 10 x books

Bear Grylls' To My Sons In To My Sons (Lion), Bear Grylls shares the wisdom he felt was important to pass along to his three sons. 10 x books

Silent Night Carols This year we celebrate two hundred years since the carol Silent Night was written. Celebrate with ‘Silent Night Carols’ - a timeless collection of classic Christmas carols from Integrity Music. 20 x CDs

holy night, 1. Silent night, is bright all all is calm, and child. virgin mother round yon mild, so tender and Holy infant, ly peace, sleep in heaven peace. ly sleep in heaven

Bridge: Saviour is born Christ the come hope have Peace and the Son Though Jesus Saviour Christ the Saviour is born Christ the come hope have Peace and the Son Though Jesus at Thy birth Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth Jesus, Lord,

holy night, 3. Silent night, light; love’s pure face Son of God, from thy holy grace, radiant beams of redeeming with the dawn at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Jesus, Lord,

What is the source of the Queen's inspiration and strength? Her Majesty has written the foreword to this stunning gift book, written to celebrate her 90th birthday and published by Bible Society, HOPE and LICC. 20 x books

Title.............. Name .......................................................... Address ................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... Postcode............................. Tel................................................... E-mail.............................................................................................................. My choice is: [_] Silent Night Carols

[_] The Servant Queen and the King She Serves

[_] Bear Grylls' To My Sons

Please return this form to Christmas HOPE, HOPE, 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU or respond online at www.christmashope.org Closing date: Friday 6 January 2017. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. It is our policy to ensure your details will not be disclosed to third parties.

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1) Her 21st birthday address: 21 April 1947 2) The Queen 3) A cross 4) A Bible 5) The Star of Africa 6) Tommy Cooper 7) 1992 8) 2012 9) Jesus Christ 10) 1969

8; Mohr, 1792-184 Words: Joseph Young, 1820-1885 F. trans. by John new lyrics: ent & Arrangem & Nick Herbert Ben Cantelon Music 2014 Thankyou Copyright © CCLI Number: & HOPE Together. 7021184 charts and guitar of Sheet music for free, courtesy are available weareworship.com

Midwinter’ No. 1 carols ‘In the Bleak Manger’ and ‘Away in a es the No. 1 memori memory: getting . Christmas as morning as in “Favourite for on Christm over Christm bike I had prayed memories of singing mass – the only t happy ly midnigh Also many l – especial Bangor Cathedra to stay up late!” allowed time I was

7 Photo: Rob

Haines

[_] Bear Grylls' Spirit of the Jungle

That’s why carols burst into song with words like: ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come!’ Christians throughout the world are celebrating with the angels that Jesus lives.

first and it was Night in 1816 The music was wrote Silent 1818. Joseph Mohr animent in t. It has Austrian priest a simple guitar accomp aster and organis with Gruber, a schoolm performed es. by Franz Xaver more than 140 languag composed into songwriters translated ved carol, since been hope for this much-lo peace and verse and chorus have focused on the In their new Herbert n and Nick Ben Cantelo all humanity. to offers Jesus more. to find out nity.org.uk Visit christia

holy night, 2. Silent night, sight; quake at the afar, shepherds from heaven ! glories stream sing Alleluia heavenly hosts Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born! Christ the

The Servant Queen and the King She Serves

[_] Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches

What’s your Number 1? We all have favourites. The carol Silent Night is consistently voted Number 1 in Christmas carol charts. And this year it’s 200 years since the carol was written. A miraculous birth, frightened shepherds, an angelic choir … they all get a mention in Silent Night. Its writer, Austrian priest Joseph Mohr, packed a lot of meaning into his short verses, which focus on Jesus, the Son of God, Saviour of the world. For Joseph Mohr and for millions of people around the world Jesus is Number 1. Because Jesus is Number 1, even our calendar counts the years from his birth. The story of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection can be read in the accounts of four of his followers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These first-century writers all agree on this essential and amazing fact: Jesus died on a cross but rose again from the dead. Historians and scholars throughout the centuries since Jesus’ death have agreed that Jesus was crucified and raised to life. The question we all need to face is, ‘What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make for me and my life?’ Look out for clues in the carols you sing this Christmas. O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks sets out a prayer: ‘…cast out our sin, and enter in be born in us today…’ We sing carols to celebrate Jesus’ birth because it means that all our short-comings, which separate us from God, can be wiped away. We can have a fresh start – as if we are being born all over again.

Look out for Christmas No.1 events in your area in churches, sports centres, and wherever people sing carols. Going carol singing? Download the free Carols Words app for iPhone or Android. Order free Christmas No.1 carols booklets from tearfund.org/christmas.

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