New to Britain?
Here we have tried to collect odd bits of information to help those who join our church from other countries. Feel free to approach us for further details on anything we mention. If you think something should be added please let us know or add it as a comment. We may incorporate your comments in a future update.
Clocks Change
Twice a year visitors to Britain are caught out when we change the time display on all our clocks. In spring, on the last Sunday morning of March at 2:00 AM, we move the time to one hour later. This always happens overnight on Sunday morning so in spring we are getting up an hour earlier for church. We will continue to live in British Summertime until the clocks are returned to their proper time in the autumn on the last Sunday morning of October when we will get an extra hour in bed that morning. Lovely!
When the clocks change in the spring it is usual to see some people, both British and overseas visitors, arriving for church a hour late due to forgetting about the change. Will you be one of them?
Why do we do this? Because Britain is far from the equator, and because of the tilt of the earth away from the sun the winter days in Britain are short, while the summer days are long. In winter it is dark in the afternoon at 4:00 PM whereas in summer it will be light until about 10:30 PM. Yes, really! Changing the clocks makes the best of the available daylight.
April Fool’s Day, 1st April
This in as old tradition when, on the 1st of April until midday it customary to play a joke on friends. As a visitor it is probably wise to avoid joking until you think you have grasped the nature of the humour. But please don’t be easily offended by this silly tradition.
The joke is to attempt to get someone to believe something silly for just a moment. When you have succeeded in fooling your friend you say, “April fool.” At work you might be asked to fetch something that is fictitious, or answer a supposedly important phone call only to find there is no one on the line. It is usual to see odd reports in newspapers and on TV and radio news broadcasts, which later turn out to be a spoof. A famous one is back in the 1950s when on television a documentary programme made a documentary on the “spaghetti harvest”. People were filmed picking strands of noodle from trees. As it was not a usual food in those days in Britain, many people believed it. It is now a bit of a game trying to spot the bogus report in the news.
Shopping
Small, local shops can be very much more expensive than the big supermarkets. The British habit is to shop only once or twice a week and load up. The big supermarkets are open long hours, with some of them open 24 hours. If you just need some milk or coffee, the corner shops or a petrol station shop may be the answer for you. The big supermarkets all provide Internet shopping. Many of the large supermarkets sell a good range of international foods, but the specialist supermarkets are to be found in Leeds.
Accommodation
Students: contact the Accommodation Officer at your University.
Non-students: You can get a list of letting agencies from the City of York Council, or if you have problems with your landlord you can report to the City of York Council.
FAMILY LIFE
Christmas
This Christian festival is widely and enthusiastically celebrated by most people.
On Christmas Eve, children hang up stockings or sacks (a pillow case) in the hope they will be filled with presents, which they will open on Christmas morning. Families gather for a big meal on Christmas Day. Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day and is also a day for family celebrations. The shops are closed on both of those days.
Decorations are taken down on 6th January. If you leave your decorations up beyond the 12th day you may appear foolish to your English neighbours. This could cause embarrassment and hinder your witness.
Easter
Children are given decorated chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday.
Many people outside of the church now have little understanding about the Christian importance of Easter.
Birthdays
Birthdays are very important events, especially for children and young people. Celebrations normally include: birthday cards and presents from friends and family, a birthday cake with candles, and a party with food and games (for younger children).
If your child is invited to a friend’s birthday party, it is usual to take a present.
FAMILY LIFE - Children
There are certain aspects of family life in Britain which are not considered private and are covered by English law. Visitors from overseas may find these odd but they are important.
Disciplining Children
In this country there are restrictions on how children may be disciplined. We know that parents in our church from other countries, may be used to disciplining their children in ways that would be seen as normal in their own countries, but here the law is clear on the following points:
Children may be punished by their parents by a light smack. If a mark is left on the skin, even temporarily, the parent would be liable to conviction in the law courts. If your child is heard commenting at school that they are beaten by their parents, you would be likely to receive a visit from Social Workers and the Police. British law sees a great difference from light smack (which is legally permissible) and a beating (which is unlawful). If a worker in our church hears your child reporting what is considered mistreatment in Britain, we are obliged by law to report the incident to the authorities (and we would not be allowed to inform you we have done so).
Leaving Children Unattended
Parents remain responsible for their children at all times. Young children should never be left at home alone. Older children should not be left in charge of younger children at home - in an emergency they may not be able to cope. Teenagers under 16 should not be left in charge of younger children overnight. It is not safe to assume that neighbours will keep an eye on your children. If leaving your children in the care of another adult, make sure it is someone you know well, and can trust.
Sickness and children
Some of our international friends come from lands where health care is limited and they are used to simply trusting in God for their own healing and that of their children. Our church believes in praying for those who are ill but we also have free state health care available. In this country it is considered abusive, unlawful, and we believe it is unacceptable to deprive a child of health care while trusting only to the ministry of prayer.
FAMILY LIFE - Marriage
Domestic Violence
Violence towards a husband or wife is unacceptable and can result in Police or Social Services involvement. York Women’s Aid offers support and advice and sometimes provides accommodation for women fleeing violence.
Your Neighbours
Those living near, or next door to you, may want to be friendly. They may curious about you. You be friendly too.
We have noticed that some nationalities new to this country leave the curtains closed at all times, even during the day time. In this country curtains closed during the day time mean there has been a death in the family, or you are a drug dealer guarding your privacy!
CHURCH LIFE
Tithes and Offerings
Practices vary internationally as to how to make your contribution the the Lord’s work. In some countries it is customary to give your tithes to the pastor of your church, in the UK this is not so and our pastor has to be seen to observe strict Charity Law rules.
Tithes and offerings should be placed in the offering bag during a meeting. Money received in our church is always counted by two people who have to sign the record.
If you are paying UK tax on your income you are eligible for a very good government scheme operating in this country. You simply need to sign a form which we can provide called a ‘Gift Aid’ form, and we will provide you with giving envelopes. From then on when you give, for every £1 you give to Elim Church, the British Government gives us 28p (28%). Over the year, across the congregation, this mounts up considerably. For every £10,000 given in tithes and offerings we receive over the year we receive £2,800. So you see, it is very well worth giving through Gift Aid.
If you wish to make gifts which are for the senior pastor, or anyone else in ministry in the church, this can be done by putting your donation in an envelope clearly marked who the gift is for. It can then be handed to a leader or preferably, placed in the offering bag during a meeting.
Pastoral Care
You may find that the way pastoral care is provided in this church is different from what you are used to.
Pastoral visits to homes of members are no longer the norm in church life in this country. It is no longer wise for a male pastoral worker to visit a home where a female will be present alone. Sadly, this would now leave the pastor vulnerable to accusation. Graham’s home visits will usually be for a particular pastoral reason such as sickness, birth of a baby, moving into a new home, etc.
ABOUT YORK
Getting Around
Bicycles
A great way to get around this small city is by bicycle. But there are some things that will help you to enjoy the experience.
Bicycle Security.
You must always lock your bike when it is unattended. We regularly have international friends in our church who have bikes stolen because they were not locked and who did not believe our advice.
Some bikes have quick-release (easy-steal) wheels. If it is mainly for use round town, you can ask the shop to modify them so that they are no longer quick-release. To lock your bike you must use a good “D-lock” or heavy chain which must go through the front wheel, bike frame and cycle stand. People with easy-steal wheels will use two “D-locks”, one used as above and the other round rear wheel and frame.
Lock the wheel only and the frame will be stolen! Lock the frame only and the wheels will be stolen!
Most desirable to the thieves are the mountain bike type. Better to get something designed for city life. It will have a rack on the back for carrying your bags or shopping, with mudguards to stop dirt flicking up your back when the ground is wet. It will have narrower tyres, which are easier to push round than the fat, knobbly all-terrain type. A good shop would advise you. York has some top cycle shops including Cycle Heaven, York Cycle Works and Bob Trotter’s.
Bicycle Lights.
Using lights will prevent you getting fined and are vital for safety. Most people use lightweight LED lights that can easily be removed for safekeeping when leaving the bike parked and locked. Remember, on a dark night the street lights enable a cyclist to see clearly, but not so for the motorist. To the motorist in the same conditions a cyclist without lights is little more than a moving shadow.
And get a book (or get stuff from the Internet - see below) on how to maintain your bike. If it is left unmaintained, bits can become loose with the vibrations and before you know it it starts falling apart or gets dangerous.
Links to cycle maintenance info:
London Cycling Campaign - http://www.lcc.org.uk/documents/Maintenance.pdf
Cambridge Cycling Campaign - http://www.camcycle.org.uk/resources/maintenance/
Public Transport: Buses.
There are lots of bus services in York and their reliability varies depending on where and when the service runs. Generally speaking, buses that run to quieter areas of the city do not continue to provide a service as late as buses which operate in busier areas of the city e.g. buses to Fulford only run until 7.30pm but buses that operate between the University and the Train Station continue past 11.00pm. Be careful because bus times often vary depending on whether it is a weekday or a weekend, buses can sometimes operate less frequently on weekends. They usually operate less frequently on national holidays as well. In 2003, an ex York Uni student realised that he could only find information for buses in York from one website on the entire internet and even that website only covered its own buses. So he created his own website which is regularly updated and delivers 100% accurate information on more than 99.9% of all the buses running in and around York. You can find his website here.
Taxis.
Taxis in York do not operate in the same way that Taxis in other countries operate, they may not even operate in the same way as Taxi services in other cities within Great Britain. For example, if you are from a large city in China you may be used to waving at taxis as they pass. There are plenty of taxis in York but it may be some time before you see one drive past and even then it is unlikely to stop for you if you wave. This is the same for everyone, whether you are from York or not. If you are forced to use a taxi in York there are two ways you can get one. The first and most common way is to call a taxi operator in advance and arrange to be picked up. Here are three numbers that have proved to be reliable enough:
- Bee Line Taxis: 01904 797777
- Fleetways: 08081 442727
- Station Taxis: 01904 623332
If you have an early morning train, do call the night before to arrange a taxi. On Friday and Saturday evenings it may be more difficult to arrange a taxi because these are peak times.
The second way is to find a Taxi Rank, this is like a bus stop for taxis, you will probably be familiar with the one at the entrance of York Train Station. Here is a website with a list of Taxi Ranks in York. Taxi fares vary, if you are going from the University to the Train Station then you can expect to pay at the very least £5.50.
Other Information
The British government has an information website that covers all sorts of topics and answers many questions you may have. A good website worth checking out is Friends International.
