Robin and Janet talked about their work as Elim missionaries in a very poor part of northern South Africa. They recalled the arrival of Christmas shoe boxes and the overwhelming joy of a child who received a toothbrush amongst her items. They spoke of the need to dig a water hole in their village 
as there is drought in their area. They also spoke about how £15 would buy a blanket for people have very little in an area where it gets very cold at night. Their work has involved setting up four Bible colleges. The hope is that when the students have finished their courses, they will be equipped to plant and run churches. They also talked about holding a Christmas party for over 150 children, using finances raised from Christmas parties in the UK. They have had a very busy two months in the U.K. talking about their work, including trips to Scotland and Ireland. Janet said they had slept in sixteen different beds. Robin also said that when they arrived in the U.K. he had just £57 in his wallet, for a two month stay. They were very grateful for the hospitality that so many people had shown towards them. They receive no salary for their work, which can be supported by going to
www.elim.org.uk/group/missionaries
then you search for Ronin and Janet Fenner and then click on donate.
Tonight’s playlist
Booker T & MGFs – Crazy
Jason Mraz – Summer breeze
Tom Inglis – Bayete Inkosi – chosen by Robin & Janet
Michael W Smith – A new hallelujah – chosen by Robin & Janet
Godfrey Birtill – You are still God – chosen by Robin & Janet
Soweto String Quartet – Kwela
Rick Wakeman – Summertime
Michael Buble – Summer wind
Georgie fame – Get away – requested by Patrick
Russell Watson _ have I told you lately that I love you – Adrian commented that he really like the song.
1960s batman theme – in tribute to Adam West, who died during the week.
Lisa Harman – I can’t stop laughing – an exclusive to this show. Again we admired the variety of styles in Lisa’s work.
Dolly Parton & Pentatonix – Jolene – we were all dancing in the studio ( there was a lot of dancing tonight)
Celine Dion & Elvis Presley – If I can dream – do watch the amazing video
Snowy White – Bird of paradise
Zombies – She’s not there – to celebrate keyboard wizard Rod Argent, who also wrote the song, whose birthday was on Wednesday.
Lionel Ritchie – Running with the night
MonaLisa Twins – June – they will be appearing at the Glastonbury Festival this year.
Bryds – Turn, turn, turn.
George Martin – Theme 1.
Join Jonty and I next week for another show, live from Brentwood.
Marjorie was listening on 98FM and contacted to say how inspirational she found Robin and Janet.
Lisa Harman contacted from on board ship after listening to the recording of the
show. She said that the music mix was great and was inspired by Robin and Janet.
Archdeacon Elizabeth came and talked with us about Pentecost, seen as the birth of the church. She chose three tracks for us, all related to her explanation She told us about the original Pentecost, when followers of Jesus were overwhelmed with a sense of his spirit being with them . This was linked to Beautiful noise by Neil Diamond. The purpose of the coming of the Spirit was to help people to be changed to live to their full potential. She chose Coldplay and Fix you. Finally, in the way that we are all supposed to live our lives in support of each other, Brother by Avicii. In the second hour Jonty brought us a feature on St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. We heard how when Paul McCartney heard the Beach Boys Pet Sounds album, he was challenged and inspired to see where the Beatles could take their creativity. St. Pepper’s was the result. We also heard John Lennon explaining the inspiration for Lucy in the Sky with diamonds. Did we believe him?
Tonight we looked at the career of Roger Moore and played some of the music associated with the shows and films in which he starred. Bob in Harlow was the only listener who could list all seven Bond films starring Roger Moore in the correct order. We had another exclusive track from Lisa Harman. When I played Nick Kershaw a couple of tracks later Lisa e-mailed in to say that he had been a big influence on her early writing.
Jane Parker has spent years dreaming about releasing an album. At nearly fifty years of age, with a little help from some friends, she has finally made it happen. She spoke enthusiastically about the whole process of producing the work, and particularly the inspiration she felt when writing both words and music. She told us personal stories from within her faith journey related to all the songs we played. The album can be bought as a CD or downloaded. All information on www.janeparkermusic.com
Sarah and Leanne from www.achingarms.uk joined us in the studio tonight. As a bereaved parent who had lost a baby, Leanne decided in 2010 to set up a charity to help parents in a similar situation. They are now in contact with seventy two hospitals in England and have an army of volunteers, including many dedicated fundraisers. The charity gives teddy bears to the bereaved families. She said when her baby died, her arms ached and she needed something to cuddle. Sarah is running in the London Marathon on Sunday, her first ever marathon, to raise money for the charity. To date she has raided over £3,000. However, with the ever expanding work of the charity, including training midwives and lobbying in Parliament, as much as is possible is needed. There are also many more hospitals to involve in the project. Being a small charity, the organisation is only allowed one runner in the marathon and it will be four years until they can compete again. Much more info is found on the charity websites. On Face Book – Aching Arms UK. Twitter @AchingArms, www.achingarms.co.uk Leanne@achingarms.co.uk info@achingarms.co.uk info@achingarms.co.uk Sarah can be supported on virginmoneygiving.com/sarahmcarthur
Pastor Lee Carmichael from Ingatestone Elim was my studio guest. He had been recently to South Africa to spend a week with Robin and Julie Fenner. They are missionaries supported by the church, and were guests on this show. Lee talked about the work that was being undertaken with children, many from the local township. He told of an event where the children were very pleased to be given peanut butter sandwiches and balloons.. He talked about attending very enthusiastic and lengthy worship. Lee went to work with local leaders, particularly on issues related to safeguarding and making environments safe for children. He was also involved in preaching at some missionary events. A day was spent on safari, which included an encounter with a large group of elephants that were crossing the road. Lee’s vehicle simply had to wait. More information about the work happening in South Africa can be accessed via the Ingatestone Elim church website.
Ben works for Community Agents Essex. This is an innovative new partnership supporting older people and their informal carers. Ben gave potted history of this initiative. He explained their services were free, all having been paid for through our local taxes. He emphasised the practical nature of the work, such as fitting a system to open an existing garage door remotely. This enabled the resident to once again use his mobility scooter. The agents have organised the Blue Flower Café at Brentwood Theatre, for those with dementia and their carers. The aim of the agents are also to promote health and independence, reduce social isolation, increasing individual and community resilience. More information www.communityagentsessex.org.uk o800775858 or 01376574341. Alternatively enquiries@caessex.org.uk
Christian singer songwriter Marina Bottelli Price was the studio guest this evening. She sang three songs from her album A very high wall. She also chose three tracks and used these to talk about her life in a very honest and moving manner. We were also joined by John Metcalf, President of the Ingatestone Rotary Club. He talked about the excellent work that Rotary are doing in supporting the initiative to eradicate polio from the world. From 256 countries, now there are only three left. There is an excellent event in Ingatestone this week to support. We heard of the mystery Irish woman who found a rare £5 note engraved with a portrait of Jane Austen and donated it to charity to be used to help young people.
Tonight we featured a number of tracks that were covers of well known songs. We were looking for versions that added something different to the original. How many can you find in the playlist? Listeners particularly agreed with Jonty that the Jamie Cullum jazz version of Uptown Funk was amazing. Also the John Legend version of God only knows, turning it into a duet, brought a lot of responses. It was great to be joined on the phone by singer songwriter Lisa Harman for an interview about the motivation behind writing one of her own songs. A live broadcast from the studio is something we hope can happen. We will have another track next week. Having seen La La Land during the week, as had Jonty, we can both recommend it. The film is far more thought provoking than I expected and leaves you asking questions about the price paid to follow your dream. We heard tonight from Patrick and Jen, listening to us very early in the morning in Australia.
Charlie was a very interesting and informative guest this evening. He talked about his post working for the Church of England as a missioner. We heard about the way he helps churches undertake activities that helps them connect with people who would normally never go to church. So this includes being at the Boreham Car Boot sale, that gets over 5,000. He has also been at the Mind & Spirit events in the Brentwood Centre. He regularly sits in his local in Harlow, wearing his collar, and people come and chat to him. He told us how he came to faith through meeting a girl when he was 21. He had no experience of faith and did not understand that anyone regularly attended on a Sunday. He asked the girl out on a Friday evening and she said that she could not come because she went to a church home group. Charlie had no idea what that meant. He went, and was freaked out my a member saying a prayer. Prayers were said by Vicars in churches on Sunday! This experience was helpful in leading him to being open to the possibility of faith. For the future, he felt the priorities for the church should be looking to connect with people where they are, because everyone has a spiritual yearning. Do listen to the fascinating interview.
Corrie made a return visit to be with us tonight. She came a couple of months ago to tell us that she was going to undertake a sponsored banger rally, driving from Torquay to Vegas in southern Spain. Jonty interviewed her as she gave us details of the four day event, dressed entirely as a Pink Lady, straight from the film Grease. She was somewhat surprised to find another group of Pink Ladies taking part, and even more surprised to find they were guys in drag! She was raising money for Fostering Network. To date she has raised over £3,000. She also spoke about the on-going need for people to be involved in fostering in Essex, particularly teenagers. Anyone interested could contact Corrie directly on 0800801530 or by visiting www.essex.gov.uk/fostering. If you would like to support the Pink Ladies drive go to Justgiving and search for Pink Ladies. In the second hour Jonty told us about the Essex Youth Forum and how young people aged between 11 – 18 years can be involved. He is standing for election. Musically we featured Leon Russell, who passed away this week. We also had a feature on Joni Mitchel’s classic song Both sides now. 
Sophie-Rose, Swayley and Máira joined me to talk about a dance off happening next Saturday at 10 a.m. at Margaretting Primary School. Head teacher Máira told us how she is encouraging everyone to dance and how enjoyable it can be. It is also good for physical and mental well-being. Sophie-Rose, aged ten, is a pupil at Ingatestone C. of E. Junior School. She is also an expert street dancer, with a trainer who lives in Holland. Recently she took part in an all age competition in Germany and came in the top ten. Sophie-Rose will be at the dance off to demonstrate. Swayley is a pupil at Margaretting school, who enjoys dancing but has never been to any classes. He is really looking forward to the event. Jonty told us that at Brentwood School everyone in Year 7, regardless of age, has Dance on the curriculum. 
Tonight I was joined in the studio by David and Barbara Clark from the Mid-Essex group of Gideons International. This organisation began with the vision of William J. Knights, John H. Nicholson and Samuel E. Hill in Boscobel, Wisconsin in 1899. Now the organisation is active in over 200 hundred countries. The primary aim is to distribute Bibles free of charge. If you have seen a Bible in a hotel room, it was placed b y the Gideons. David and Barbara told us that they are also distributed in hospitals, schools, Police Stations and prisons. In schools in the U.K., the aim to to have a pocket sized New Testament available for year seven pupils. This includes a section at the beginning with helpful references for when there are problems in life. World-wide they have now distributed over two billion copies. Barbara explained the choice of the name Gideons by telling us the account of Gideon in the Bible, where he was given a mighty and apparently impossible task by God. She also explained how the symbols on the Gideon Bibles represent aspects of the incident. More information can be found by looking up Gideons in any search engine and specifically on www.gideons.org.uk
Denyse Donnell joined me in the studio tonight and we heard her singing Baby mine, Then he kissed me, and Lullaby of Birdland. She told us that her first love was dancing and acting. Whilst working in the holiday industry, she was encouraged to sing. This resulted in her being in an ABBA tribute band in Minorca. Her singing and acting career has continued and now she performs in a number of contexts. She loves singing jazz and is looking to put together a jazz trio. She is also singing in Carousel at the Ingatestone Community Club next week, She has written and will be producing and performing in at the Ingatestone Community Centre in January. She is also looking for acts for a Valentines charity evening she is putting together. All this and a young family. For more information check out www.denysedonnell.co.uk
Corrie Castlman joined us tonight to talk about her trip, dressed as a Grease-style Pink Lady with four friends in a £500 Vauxhall Astra from St. Austell Cornwall to Vegas in Spain. www.bangerrallychallenge.co.uk She herself could not decided if the trip was brave or madness. Jonty interviewed her as she told us there would be 150 cars taking part. She will be raising money for a Fostering Network that raises funds to lobby government for better training and support for those involved in fostering. This can be supported through the Just Giving page “Corries Pink ladies banger race” Any donation, big or small, will help. She also told us about her work with families and that there are 1,100 children in Essex in care. There is a shortage of those willing to foster. 
It was good to welcome back Song Cycle, who last visited the show two years ago. Since 1996 they have been involved with the Friends of Essex Churches Ride and Stride sponsored cycle event. As members of St. Thomas of Canterbury choir they thought as well as riding, they would sing when they arrived at the churches. Over 20 years they have ridden 687 miles, visited 663 churches, sung 316 motets and raided over £36,000 for the trust. To mark their twentieth year, they thought of doing something different. So starting at 7.30 a.m. tomorrow morning, and anticipating singing for over eleven hours, they plan to sing all 150 Psalms, including Glorias, to Anglican chant. We heard three examples of their singing tonight. They can be supported through the Song Cycle JustGiving page. As of 23rd of September thy had raised over £4,000.
Tonight my studio guest was Dan Pierce who works as a Pioneer minister in Billericay. You may well see him in a coffee shop in Billericay High Street and want to pop along for a chat. Dan told us about his life journey to this point. This was varied, including working in India and as a supermarket security guard. He felt this particular job was the best preparation for being a minister as it meant he met every kind of person. He had trained at Cranmer Hall in Durham before working as a curate in the north east of England, then coming to be in Billericay. Dan supports Manchester United and Middlesborough. He loves being creative, writing songs, poetry, short stories and painting. He has three boys and sung for us one of his own compositions called Raising Boys, which spoke about trying to influence them for the good as they grow up. Musically he chose REM, as a song from his youth. He is a big fan of Damon Alban and all that he has produced, including his daya in Blur and Gorrilaz. He also likes Arcade Fire. He told us that he had performed twice at the Greenbelt Christian music festival. Jonty had just come back from there, his fourteenth visit. Dan will be performing in Billericay later in the month. Check out our events guide for more details.
Annabelle Chuchett, age 16, Ed Loveday, aged 16 and Duncan Lee, aged 17, all from Ingatestone, joined me tonight to talk about their skydiving to raise money for the Chelmsford based charity, Kids Inspire. They dived on Wednesday with the Red Devils, the British Army’s Parachute Regiment at Sarum. They clearly had a fantastic time and talked enthusiastically about the experience. Once they had all landed, they said, “Can we go back and do it again?” They were full of praise for the Red Devils and the way that they helped them, and others also undertaking skydives on the day. Only today there was news of two ninety year old World War Two veterans undertaking dives. Any charity can look with confidence to organise skydiving with the Red Devils.
Tonight we had cool jazz for a hot summer evening from Jonny, Elle, Seb and Pete from Brentwood School, the Blue Moon Jazz Quintet. The keyboards player was unable to be with us tonight. It was fantastic to have them playing live in the studio with guitar, bass guitar, drums and saxophone. They brought us a selection of their favourite tracks and Jonny explained why they had chosen them. They also selected some tracks for us as well. Listeners commented on how it was obvious how much they were enjoying the experience and they were enjoying listening. This included David, Alison, Ben and Anna listening in Orlando, Florida. Jonny said that they are available to play at weddings and other functions. The contact info is
It was a joy to be joined in the studio tonight by three very confident girls from the school. They had all won a competition to be on the programme. Fay talked about technology, and asked the question as to whether it was good or bad. She told us about the many positive uses of technology. particularly in hospitals. The problems with technology tended to be around the reality that it can often go wrong. It is also easy to break items, like dropping a phone on the floor. Ellie spoke with enthusiasm about the Young Expressions drama club in Ingatestone. She told us about being in three productions and how she loved taking part in them. In one show she played a dog, and felt she did well as she had a natural whoof. We even had a demonstration. Emma told us about being involved with Race for Life and raising money for Cancer Research. She took part in the race in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, among hundreds of participants. She felt that being with many other people encouraged her to ensure she finished. She also said that it felt really good to be involved with something that is so important. She imagines she will take part for many years.
On a very cold June evening in Brentwood I was joined in the studio by Harry, Helen and Richard. The are part of the bell ringing team at Ingatestone Parish Church. Richard and Helen had met through a university bell ringing group. Richard told us about the history of bell ringing. They all said how much they enjoyed bell ringing. There is also a social side, with ringers becoming a group of friends. Groups of ringers often go to ring at different towers and enjoy experiencing different sets of bells and amazing buildings. Richard said that you never stop learning about ringing. However it was felt that to ring in a parish church could be learnt, with practice, in about a month. You just need to be able to count. Bells can be rung for a number of reasons at church. At Ingatestone they are not only rung on Sundays. They are also rung for weddings and occasionally for funerals. They are also rung on the annual Victorian evening. On July 1st they will be rung to mark the death of a soldier at the Battle of the Somme. More information can be found about bell ringing from the Essex Association of Changer Ringers, www.eacr.org.uk or from the Central Council of Bell Ringers www.cccbr.org.uk Richard also suggested that you could contact any parish church or just turn up any Sunday morning. Helen in Rhodes contacted via Facebook to say her parents had both been bell ringers and it had given them a great deal of pleasure throughout their lives.
Paula Carr joined me in the studio tonight for a fascinating chat about this charity working in Uganda. She told us how the work had begun by her father visiting the area twenty years ago. Numerous visits later they have built schools and other facilities. They have also undertaken training activities in public health and developed a strong working relationship with the Diocese of West Buganda. There are many practical ways of supporting the project. At the moment there is a shortage of school reading books across the age ranges. There is also a need for baby clothes. She told us that many of the children walk to and from school in the dark and need fluorescent armbands. More information can be found on the twitter page or by contacting Emmanuel Church, Billericay. Paula can be contacted at The Rectory, 40 Laindon Road, Bilericay CM12 9LD
The studio guest tonight was Peter Martin who is part of the group of local people organising the Little Baddow Open Gardens on Saturday 28th of May between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Over twenty gardens will be open, many with wonderful views. Peter told us that this event has been happening for many years and around one hundred people are involved. All monies raised go towards the repair and maintenance of St. Andrews church and the community rooms. In previous years around 1,000 have visited the event. There is organised parking and mini buses taking people around the village. Highlights include a display of vintage and classic cars, trips on the canal and Morris dancing. There is also a History centre to visit. Lunches are available in the village hall. It sounds a fantastic event.
My guest this evening was singer/songwriter and speaker Marina Bottali Price. She was an inspiration to listen to as she talked about her work with The Healing Bus ministry. It was sixteen years between when she felt God had told promised her that she should have a ministry with a bus and that coming into being. She talked about praying with people in all kinds of situations. Now they no longer have the bus she is receiving lots of invitations to speak in churches across Essex and across denominations. She also spoke about her childhood and how she came to faith. Finally she ended with the song ‘I love you Lord with all my heart’ which she had written and just recorded as part of a CD being produced to give to people she encounters in ministry. Phyl e-mailed n from north London and commented ‘what wonderful work’. If you want to know more, check out www.thehealingbus.org You can also find the charity and Marina via twitter and facebook.
We had a really packed show this evening. In the first hour Jonty and I were joined by four pupils from Ingatestone C. of E. Juniors. They were amazingly confident in the studio and listeners found it hard to believe they were just eight and nine years of age.
This evening I was joined in the studio by Ian, Sue and Mary from the Brentwood Schools Christian Worker Trust. Ian is Director of Schools Work. Sue works in Primary Schools. Mary works in Secondary Schools. They told us about the work of the trust which leads assemblies, lessons and special projects and also provides chaplains. Ian said that at the core of the work is building relationships with pupils and staff. Only is this way can they provide Christian learning and support. All this is only possible through relationships with local churches and supporters. There are four full time staff at the trust and over forty volunteers. They are always looking for more people to support the work, through prayer, financially and as volunteers. Sue talked particularly about the the sessions called Easter Cracked that are being run for Primary School pupils. Mary told us about the sessions on identity and relationships in Secondary Schools, together with the importance of being a listening ear in a chaplaincy role. They all talked about the importance of the On the Move sessions that are run across the borough for year 6 children as they prepare for the big move the secondary education. More information about the work of the trust and how to be involved can be found on www.bscwt.org 
