Thursday, 26th August 2021 Jaco van Gass, who was born in South Africa, has just won GB another gold medal. Jaco, a member of the British Armed Forces Parachute Regiment before he was seriously injured by a RPG (Rocket Propelled Granade)has just won the Men’s 3,000 Cycling Pursuit gold medal.

Jackie Robinson was one of the most influential sports figure of his day. he was the first African American to play Major League Basketball. He was the catalyst that broke basketball’s colour barrier. Malala Yousafzai is now 24. On 9th October 2012, aged 15 ,she was hit in the head from a bullet by a Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan gunman who wanted to assassinate her for activism towards female education. She was transfered to the UK to recover… In 2014, aged 17, she became the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Pakistan’s Prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, says she has become the country’s most prominent citizen. I am Malala: the girl who was stood up for Education and was shot by the Taliban Mohammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay until 1964, was a world champion boxer. Changing his name was a religious and political act when he converted to Islam. In 1967 he became a conscience objector and refused to do military service in Vietnam for the USA saying it was against his religious and moral beliefs. He avoided jail but was stripped and banned from boxing. ln 1970 returned to the ring to win back his title. Rigoberta Menchu Tum is a K’iche Guatemalan human rights activist, feminist and Nobel Prize Laureate (1992). She rose in prominence in 1983. She has dedicated her life to publicizing the indigeous suffering of her people during and after the Guatemala Civil War (1960-99). She is a UNESCO goodwill anbassador. She founded the country’s first indigenous political party, Winaq. Tegia Loroupe is a Kenyan long distance track and road runner ( won the New York marathon in 1994 and 1995, plus other marathons). She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women’s rights and education. In 2003 created the Tegia Loroupe Peace Foundation- created to promote friendship between people and gender equality. She organizes Peace marathons which are held in East Africa. In 2016 organized the Refugee Team for the Rio Summer Olympics in Rio. Wangari Muta Maathai (1940-2011) was a Kenyan social environmental and political activist. In 1977 she founded the Green belt Movement which focused on the planning of trees ( combating deforestation and soil erosion), environmental conservation and women’s rights. She felt by improving the environment she was creating a system that would encourage progress and peace In 2004 she was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2006 won the Indira Gandhi Peace prize. Sources People of Peace by Sandrine Mirza Wikipedia

I have put together 3 sheet connected with Global warming. There is a’Yes to ’ and 'No to 'sheet . The second sheet is a Thesaurus of hopefully useful list of positive words to use. The third sheet is Poetry Aid in case the children want to try and write a poem about Global Warming…

George- Antoine Bellecourt was a French Canadian, Roman Catholic diocesan priest and missionary. H e was ordained in 1827 and established missions in areas of Quebec and Manitoba… H e was assigned to Pembina, North Dekota where he established two missions in the 1840s to convert the local Ojibwe (also called Chippewa) and Metis to Catholicism. He left Pembina In 1859 for Quebec where he was quickly redeployed to North Rustico, Prince Edward Island. There he established the Farmer’s Bank of Rustico. He ’ retired’ in 1869 to New Brunswick but was recalled in 1871 to go to the Magdalen islands. May 1874 he became ill and retired and he died on 31st May 1872 in New Brunswick. The town of Belcourt , North Dakota, was named after him in honour of his efforts in the region. 1959 George was designated a National Historic Person by the Government of Canada. Source Wikipedia

Adoniram Judson Gordon He is known as the father of Baptist Missionaries. He was a scholar, preacher , author, Bible teacher and translator who left us with a rich heritage of faith and good works in the books he wrote and the Bible college he founded. He spent 34 years in Burma as a missionary and translated the whole of the Bible into the Burmese language. Initially he was not successful in bringing converts to the Christian faith -it took six long years to get his first convert. Shortly after his death, 34 years plus later, a government survey recored 210,000 Christians in Burma. Aye, a mighty man of faith, prayer, purpose, patience and perseverance for the son of God and for souls, was Adoniram Judson. From Profiles of Evangelism by Fred Barlow I have included the profile written by Fred Barlow, and the Legacy of his work from Wikipedia. The name missing from the blank space is Eames

Jonathan Goforth,the** flaming preacher**, a Canadian and his wife Rosalind,from England, spent 46 years criss-crossing China in order to preach, teach and make disciples. The Goforths were sent to pioneer the North Henan mission in 1888. They were there during the Boxing War in 1900. Jonathan nearly lost his life - he survived having his head, neck and back being hacked by a long bladed sword when he acted as spokes person for his group. He was very fortunate not to lose his life .They returned to Canada, for a year, for him to convalesce. 1906 Jonathan, whilst preaching, felt he had to reconcile a difference with a Christian colleague. He stopped and promised the Lord he would solve the problem. Instantly the atmosphere changed- people became receptive, the meeting opened in prayer - confessions and repentance spread through the tearful congregation Wherever they ministered unbelievers became Christians. Local people were trained to evangelise, teach the Bible and make disciples. When they left they had 61 full-time Chinese evangelists and Bible teachers, two resident mission stations and 1000s of baptised and disciple converts. My sources for this information are Wikipedia and Ambassadors for Christ. There is an excellent biography of Rosalind Goforth on the wholesome words.org/missions site

Bob Gass, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a Christian with a mission. He was told on his wedding day, to Debbie, that he would reach more people through his writing than his preaching. From small beginnings of 3,5OO copies in 1994 of Word for Today to MILLIONS today. He died earlier this year leaving a legacy of Word for Today, plus several years of Word for Today in note form to be used for several more years.

Saint Agnes is a virgin martyr venerated as a saint by many churches. She is one only 7 women, along with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to be commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. She lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. At the age of 12 /13 the Prefect Sempronius wanted her to marry his son. She refused and was arrested and accused of being a Christian. She admitted she was a Christian and condemned to death. On hearing her fate from the judge she commented ‘I may be a child but faith dwells not in years, but in the heart.’ It is not certain how she died - she may have been beheaded or stabbed in the throat. Her blood poured to the stadium floor. Her bones are conserved beneath the high altar in the church of St. Agnes, built by Emperor Constantine, in Rome. her skull is preserved in a separate chapel. She is the patron saint of young girls and many women organisations. Today, on her feast day, 21st January, lambs are blessed and their wool woven into vestments called the ‘pall’ or 'pallium - a sort of scarf -which Roman Catholic archbishops wear when they are invested by the Pope. My sources for this information are wikipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander. I have included the first 6 verses from John Keat’s poem The Eve of St. Agnes.

Kathryn Kuhlman was an American evangelist known for hosting healing services Kathryn was born near Concordia, Mississouri to German-American parents. Aged 14 she had a spiritual experience. Several years later she began an itinerant preaching with her elder sister and brother-in-law in Idaho. She was ordained by the evangelical Church Alliance. She secretly married Burroughs Waltrip, a divorce, a Texas evangelist, and 8 years her senior, on 18th October 1938. Kathryn called her husband ‘Mister’. The marriage failed and they divorced in 1948. Kathryn travelled extensively around the USA and many other countries ‘healing crusades’ between 1940s and 1970s. In the 1960s and 1970s she had a weekly TV program called*I Believe in Miracles. She also had a 30 minute nationwide radio ministry of teaching the Bible which included excerpts from her healing services. She made guest appearances on the 700 Club. An estimated 2,000,000 people reported they were healed during her meetings. In 1955, in her late 40s, she was diagnosed with a heart problem. Instead of holding fewer services she increased them. In July 1975 her doctor diagnosed her with a minor heart flare up. November she had a relapse. She had open heart surgery in Tulsa from which she died on 20th February 1976 For several decades there has been serious debate regarding the authenticity of her ministry. Some say she was modern day prophet exercising the power of God… Many believers uphold her as an important forerunner to the present day charismatic movement. Bilt Burke, the evangelist, who aged 9 had terminal cancer, says he was cured of cancer by the healing powers of Kathryn Kuhlman.

Billy is an American Pentecostal healing evangelist and the president of his itinerant healing ministry, Billy Burke World Outreach, headquarters in Tampa Florida. He is also the senior pastor of the Miracle Centre World Outreach in Tampa. His healing ministry is founded on his testimony of being healed of terminal brain cancer when he was 9 years old by Kathryn Kuhlman. Billy was born on 24th May, 1953 in Greensburg. When he was 9 years old he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. After under going an unsuccessful operation which left him partially paralyzed and given 3 days to live, his grandmother removed him from the hospital against the doctors orders. She took him to a Kathryn Kuhlman healing service in First presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. His grandmother constantly said,When she touches you , you will be healed They sat in the balcony among a couple of thousand people. With assistance from the ushers, young Billy was brought down to stand in front of her. As her hand reached for him,he remembered the words of his grandmother. Kathryn touched him and the cancer was gone! Billy grew up and drifted away but his grandmother and mother continued to pray for him. His wake up call came, aged 19, when his younger brother was killed by a drunk driver. Billy was devastated and a fresh awakening happened. He had a telephone call to give his testimony at Kathryn’s healing meeting in Youngstown. This was the beginning of a whole new life. He attended Melodyland School of Theology. His pastor there was a close friend of Kathryn, Pastor Ralph Wilkerson. After graduating he returned to Pittsburgh and started his ministry in Northeast. In 1989 he moved his ministry to Tampa. In 1995 he founded the Miracle Center World Outreach. Since then Billy has travelled all over the USA and the world spreading God’s message of healing and faith.

Peter Derek Prince birthed a teaching ministry that would touch 6 continents over 7 decades. Derek was a Pentecostal Bible teacher whose daily radio program ’ Derek Prince Legacy Radio’ was/is broadcast around the world in various languages. He was born in India of British parents. He went to Eton College, Windsor and then Cambridge University. When WW11 interrupted his academic career he joined the army as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps where he ‘met’ the Lord in a billet in Yorkshire in July 1941. At the end of WW11 he was posted to Jerusalem where he witnessed the jewish people returning to Israel from across the world. In 1946 he married his first wife,Lydia Christensen, from Denmark. She ran a children’s home near Jerusalem. He became a ‘father’ to 8 girls 6 Jewish, 1 Arab and I English. In the 1950’s he became principal of a college in Kenya. 1975 Lydia died 1978 married an American Ruth Baker, a single mother with 3 adopted children. Together(1978-98) they continued with his teaching, healing and deliverance ministry which had an expanding worldwide reach. Between 1993-8 they visited many countries including England, Germany. Hungary, India, Kenya and Russia. Ruth died in 1998 but he continued for the rest of his life to distribute his teachings and train missionaries, church leaders and congregations. Derek Prince Publications became Derek Prince Ministries in December 1990. His life and work has impacted the Christian world like few others. He left a legacy of over 80 books, 600 audio and 110 videos ( sources vary on exact numbers). The material covered devotionals, works on the Holy Spirit, faith, marriage, deliverance, haling. prayer , fasting and Israel. He was a ‘pillar of the Christian Zionist movement’. He is survived by 11 adopted children and an extended family of over 150 relatives. His daily radio broadcast, * ‘Derek Prince Legacy Radio’ , which has has been translated into many languages, continues to reach many people across the world Definition and Sources used Christian Zionism About Us ICEJ international Legacy Radio 15 Wikipedia

Commissioner Elijah Cadman was an evangelist and early member of the Salvation Army - the idea of wearing a uniform was his idea. He stood only 5 feet tall and became known as the ‘Converted Sweep’ and ‘Fiery Elijah’ because of his zeal for preaching. Elijah was born in Coventry on 10thDecember 1843. He was the youngest of 5 children. His father was transported aboard the ’ Equestrian’ to Australia in 1845 for stealing. He started work as a silk weaver along side his mother and one of his sisters. Aged from 6 -13 he found work as a chimney sweep, until it became unlawful. By the time he was 17 he could ’ fight like a devil and drink like a fish.’ Aged 21 he became a Christian having heard a street preacher in Rugby - who had intended to heckle! He abstained from drinking and smoking. He then spent all his spare time as a Methodist lay preacher. Elijah was illiterate and hired a boy to read the Bible to him. He committed large chunks to memory. Aged 22 he married Maria Rosina Russell (1841-1923) in 1865 who taught him to read and write. They had 6 children , 2 died as children. Aged 33 (1876) he sold his house and chimney sweeping business and took his wife and children to London to join William Booth’s The Christian Mission. He was appointed to the Hackney (East London) Christian Mission Station where he visited slums in the day and preached in the streets at night. Elijah was instrumental in the militarization of the language used by the SA. In 1878 Elijah was sent to open The Christian Mission’s campaign in Whitby. He announced the ‘Hallelujah Army’, under Captain Cadman, was declaring war in Whitby. 2,000 at once wanted to join the SA. 3,000 regularly attended the meetings. He announced that the ‘General’ was coming to Review the troops. His reports in the* Christian Mission * magazine were ’ War News’. Later Elijah was put in command of the Yorkshire Corps and made responsible for all the newly named SA s activities in the county. The style of the uniform was decided at the August 1878 Congress, Elijah said , *I would like to wear a suit of clothes that would let everyone know I meant war to the teeth and salvation to the world, 1881 Elijah is now a Major. In 1888 he is appointed to International HQ in London. In 1890 he is a Colonel and first leader of the Men’s Social Work HQ… In later years he held the role of International Commissioner and campaigned for the S.A. abroad in many countries. Until July 1900 he was in charge of the City Colony- a homeless shelter in London. He joined William Booth on all his motorcades around the UK. Elijah and his wife, Marina, retired from active service in 1915. Marina died on 8th Janaury 1923, Elijah died on 12th December 1927 . As prominent Salvationists the couple were buried in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. ( Elijah’s uniform etc. is part of the S.A. International Centre’s collection) Sources The Salvation Army wikipedia

I have put together two vocabularies, a poetry aid, two clip art pictures and a crossword/word search about deserts which I hope pupils will find useful

The name of Swithun is best known today for a British weather lore proverb, which says that it rains on St. Swithun’s day, 15th July, it will rain for forty days. Saint Swithun ,c800 - C861/3 AD, was buried outside the Cathedral. It was his wish that men might walk over his grave and raindrops from the eaves drop upon it. Over a hundred years later they decided to place his remains inside a new basilica in Winchester Cathedral. The day they tried to transfer his body into a new basilica was 15th July 971. It rained and according to the proverb it did for the next forty days. His remains were eventually placed in the new basilica inside.

Albert Schweitzer was undoubtedly one of the most gifted men of his generation. His strong faith took him to Africa. His 1931 autobiography, 'Out of My Life and Thought' described much of his work in Africa. His musical talent as an organist, giving benefit concerts, paid largely for the founding and running of the hospital. He wrote many books in his lifetime on different themes - theological, the organ works of J.S. Bach, how an organ works and anti nuclear. Unfortunately, in today's culture, the comments he made then about those he treated are seen as racist and having a colonialistic view of Africans. In the 50 years he worked there he positively influenced the lives of those he cared for as a doctor, surgeon and pastor. The hospital continues to be the primary source of healthcare for the surrounding region and in 2011 an African, for the first time, leads the hospital..

I thought this would be a topical piece of Creative Writing for pupils in years 5/6 to tackle when they return to school after the Christmas holidays . The original story, based on the four pictures, is about a lad going with his mother to buy a special game with his birthday money. I created a phrase and vocabulary list plus an example answer a number of years ago. The Poetry Aid is a new extra.

I have created a phrase and vocabulary sheet so pupils can try and imagine they are driving at speeds approaching 1000 mph. I have included pictures of the fastest jet propelled ‘cars’ in the world. There is also a word search which looks at the drivers, names of the cars and where the records were attempted by British drivers - answer sheet provided.

I have put together a number of phrase/vocabulary sheets plus some Poetry Aids about sport. I have tried to divide up winter and summer sports. Some sports of course are played throughout the year. I have added, at the end, a exam type sheet about trainers -sample answer included.

FEAR - False Evidence Appearing Real. I have written five phrase/vocabulary sheets relating to fear - Dream or Nightmare, Examination Nerves, In the Dentist Chair, Meeting a Ghost and Haunted House. Three example ideas have been added plus a Poetry Aid relating to Fear. The hope is the children can use the phrases and vocabulary sheets, or the Poetry Aid to create some interesting creative writing.

I have put together some information about Saint Mark, the evangelist and writer of the Gospel of Mark. I have included all the scripture passages where he is named either as Mark or John Mark. He wrote the first of the three Synoptic gospels. He was the first bishop of Alexandria. He died a martyr 's death.