The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

Join us on May 29th at 8 p.m. to discuss this book.
For details, call 020 8692 5263 or e mail Deptfordsa@aol.com.

The society of Waknuk has survived a nuclear war. The people have, however, only a dim memory of that period and refer to it as Tribulation, a time during which mankind had to pay for its sins. Although the war happened a long time ago, radiation still contaminates the living world outside the small community. Whenever any evidence of contamination is found within Waknuk, the inhabitants immediately eliminate the offending plant, animal, or...... person.

The story centres around the narrator, David Strorm, his small group of friends who all possess E.S.P., or extrasensory perception, and David's sternly religious family.As a child, David has learned the strict morality of his society: "Watch Thou for the Mutant," "The Norm is the Will of God," and "The Devil is the Father of Deviation." This all meant that any living things - plant, animal, or man - had to be destroyed soon as it was discovered to be deviant. David's father, Joseph Strorm, was considered by the inhabitants of Waknuk to be a leader in the vigorous pursuit of deviations from the norm .Waknuk, though, was relatively fortunate, because it was situated in Labrador, far away from the major centres of nuclear war - the Badlands - further to the south.

Since God had sent Tribulation down upon the Old People, mankind had been struggling to return to the level of civilization that the Old People had enjoyed. Because the past generations of Waknuk had been very careful, the community was now fairly free of deviations that were the result of Tribulation. Any that did appear were destroyed or, in the case of deviant humans, banished to the Fringes country that lay towards the south, south-east, and south-west of the district.At the beginning of the story David meets Sophie Wender and discovers that she is a physical deviant with six toes on each foot. Both she and her family are forced to flee. They are captured and banished to the Fringes.

David finds it difficult to reconcile the laws of his society with his own conscience. This problem is intensified when he sees his aunt driven to suicide because she has given birth to a deviant baby.David is concerned for his own personal safety when he realizes that he and his group of E.S.P. friends are also deviants, because their ability to communicate with each other in thought forms or by mental telepathy is not compatible with Waknuk's idea of the "true image."Although they manage to disguise their deviation, the birth of David's little sister, Petra, causes innumerable problems. Because she is still an infant, she is unable to control her powers. An incident occurs in which she, David and his sweetheart, Rosalind, are found out. They are declared deviates and outlaws, and are forced to flee to the Fringes, where they are pursued by the people of Waknuk, including David's own father.

In the Fringes they are captured by the deviate inhabitants there.All this time, Petra has kept, through her awesome telepathic powers, in touch with a distant civilization in New Zealand (Sealand). These people, who are all telepathic, rescue the fugitives right in the middle of a battle between the Waknuk and Fringes people. David, Petra, and Rosalind escape per helicopter to New Zealand.

New Beginnings...

Please join us at 10.45 a.m. on Sunday mornings for Christian worship, teaching and fellowship.

Our theme for the coming months is "New Beginnings."

4th May Ascension

Children’s discipleship teaching
11th May Pentecost

Followed by BBQ and “Generation Games”
18th May Trinity

Children’s Bible Study
25th May Early Church: Peter

All Age worship
1st June Early Church: Stephen

Children’s discipleship teaching
8th June NOOMA: Bible Study

Shared lunch and “Generation Games”
15th June Early Church: Saul/Paul Conversion

Children’s Bible Study
22nd June Early Church: Cornelius & Peter

All Age Worship
29th June Early Church: Barnabas and Paul @ Antioch

All Age Worship

6th July NOOMA: Bible based discussion

"Made in Deptford" festival
13th July Led by Karl and Bev Wardley

All Age Worship
20th July Early Church: The Jerusalem Council

All Age worship followed by BBQ and "Generation Games"

27th July Early Church: Paul’s Travels

Children’s discipleship teaching

3rd August Early Church: Paul's Travels

All Age Worship

10th August Early Church: Paul’s Trials and Imprisonment

Children’s Bible Study

You will be most welcome!

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Book Club

Wednesday 7th May 2008

8 p.m. Deptford Salvation Army

A Short Synopsis...

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?