0:00:11 > 0:00:16On this week's Songs Of Praise we're in London for the culmination
0:00:16 > 0:00:20of a festival celebrated by a fifth of the world's population.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25It's Chinese New Year, and here in the grounds of Chiswick House
0:00:25 > 0:00:31the lights from over 50 huge lantern displays are drawing in the crowds.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Later I'll be exploring more of these luminous works of art
0:00:36 > 0:00:38and finding out what the festival means
0:00:38 > 0:00:42for the many Chinese Christians here in the UK.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I'll be meeting a remarkable man who's using fitness and faith
0:00:46 > 0:00:48to fight his battle with cancer.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51I guess you could describe me as a fitness evangelist.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53# More power to you
0:00:53 > 0:00:56# Speak up and find your voice... #
0:00:56 > 0:00:58And I'm going to be meeting Stella Parton,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01sister of the world-renowned country singer Dolly.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03We're going to be talking about faith, family and music.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07We've uplifting hymns and a performance from
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Alexander Armstrong in a magnificent setting.
0:01:19 > 0:01:25The British Chinese community is the oldest of its kind in Western Europe.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The first record of a Chinese person in Britain was Shen Fu Tson,
0:01:31 > 0:01:37a Jesuit scholar who came to the court of King James II in the 17th century.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Many of those that followed were sailors who came here to trade in tea, ceramics and silk.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And in an area of London called Limehouse
0:01:51 > 0:01:56they established the very first European Chinatown.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And it's in London we begin our Songs Of Praise
0:02:01 > 0:02:04with our first hymn from the church
0:02:04 > 0:02:07of St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and its date is determined by the lunar calendar.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06So yesterday marked the beginning of the Year Of The Rooster
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and 15 days of festivities.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The celebrations traditionally end with a beautiful display
0:04:12 > 0:04:16of lanterns, and here in the grounds of Chiswick House
0:04:16 > 0:04:19that's being done on a grand scale.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The festival's theme is the Silk Road, an ancient route which
0:04:28 > 0:04:32connected East and West through an exchange of not just goods
0:04:32 > 0:04:36but also architecture, science, art and religion.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Earlier in the day I caught up with Ian Xiang,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44he's the brains behind the lantern displays,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49all pre-made in China and shipped to the UK in 46 giant containers.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56We have over 67 light boxes to light up the whole festival.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00As you can see the feature behind me is 30 metres long,
0:05:00 > 0:05:0515 metres tall, so it is literally as high as a house.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13So what was it like for you the first time you saw them all lit up?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Well, it was, because it took me a very long time,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20four years to plan this and make it happen,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23when I saw all the lanterns, you know, the reflections of
0:05:23 > 0:05:29the lights on the water, that really made me very emotional.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I nearly cried. I said "OK, that's good enough."
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Ian's lantern designs are an expression of his cultural roots,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44but since coming to the UK he has begun another journey.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53I came here about nearly 20 years now, as a student.
0:05:54 > 0:06:01One day my friends took me to church and I got very emotional.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06So at the end of the sermon the pastor said,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09"Anybody want to pray, come forward."
0:06:09 > 0:06:12So I just went forward and I did a prayer.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16That changed my everything.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Chinese New Year is still very important to me
0:06:22 > 0:06:26because that's where I grew up, it's in my blood,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30but that morning that prayer really changed my life.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39The Houses of Parliament there in all their Chinese lantern glory,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43but of course London is also famous for its marathon, which
0:08:43 > 0:08:47for many people is the achievement of a huge personal milestone.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Well, how do you fancy running one a month?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54That's what one remarkable man has been doing,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59whilst battling a life-threatening illness. Connie caught up with him.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Ben Ashworth likes to run...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07..and run...
0:09:07 > 0:09:08and run.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Ben has totted up 24 marathons in 24 months.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16That's an amazing achievement in itself,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21but astounding when you discover that Ben is battling bowel cancer.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I'm here almost five years after my diagnosis so, you know,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I really can't complain.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I think God is responsible for that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Ben was told he had six months to live.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Since then, in between debilitating chemo treatments and operations,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Ben has been running to raise money for cancer charities.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I went to meet Ben in his local park in Preston in Lancashire,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50to find out more about his incredible achievements.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54You've inspired so many people but how would you describe yourself?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I would always say I'm just a bloke with cancer
0:09:56 > 0:09:59who runs a bit and not even very well.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I'm not a very fast runner but I just feel like I've got
0:10:01 > 0:10:05the determination and grit, I think, to sort of smash out these marathons
0:10:05 > 0:10:07and there's lots of other people that aren't able so
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I just feel like I ought to do my best to make the use of God's gifts.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Knowing that you're on limited time,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16how has that affected your faith?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Has it strengthened? I mean, looking to the future, as such,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22how you feel about all of that now?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Nobody's got a cancer-free pass, nobody can say that, you know,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I shouldn't have cancer cos I'm young or I have this or that.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33You know, cancer touches everyone, sadly, but I think, you know,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I know that God has given me the tools to cope with my disease.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41It sounds really silly but I think in some ways I was built for cancer.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44You know, I've got a really positive attitude towards life,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48I'm always able to see, you know, a good thing in a bad situation.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Ben's courage has been an inspiration to his friends
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and others he's encountered.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56My daughter spent some time in a wheelchair
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and Ben was really inspirational, motivational,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00in telling her she could get back running again.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Through his condition and how ill he was,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06he was still there for me in some really dark places.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09That's encouraged me to think about my life and about
0:11:09 > 0:11:13doing something myself to increase my fitness.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16He's just awesome and has just inspired so many people around him.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Ben's wife, Louise, and his three daughters,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21one of whom is from a previous marriage,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23have helped him cope with the devastating news,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and have always been Ben's biggest supporters.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I was three months pregnant when he was first diagnosed
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and then by the time they'd said, "Look, this is terminal,"
0:11:33 > 0:11:35our baby was six months old.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37How has your family coped?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39You ride the waves with it.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41There are times when it's been difficult and then there are
0:11:41 > 0:11:43times when we've just loved life.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45There are times that you can feel like
0:11:45 > 0:11:49God is really far away and feel... you feel quite alone
0:11:49 > 0:11:53but I know that the times when I've leant on him and I've gone to him
0:11:53 > 0:11:59and spoken in prayer that they're the times that I've felt strongest.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I feel like a broken record,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05I do feel truly blessed to have had them and to have the strength
0:12:05 > 0:12:09that they've given me, and that's all been possible through God.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13What message do you want them to take from all of your efforts?
0:12:13 > 0:12:18That my spirit wasn't dulled, that despite an aggressive disease,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21despite, you know, a lot of difficulties,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24that my spirit endured and, you know,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I carried on and didn't give up and I did my very, very best.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29For thousands of years people have celebrated festivals of light,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and in the Christian calendar this week is Candlemas,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36when traditionally candles to be used in the coming year
0:15:36 > 0:15:38are carried in procession and blessed.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42It's a feast full of meaning, which commemorates the time when
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51There they were met by a devout elder called Simeon, who
0:15:51 > 0:15:56instantly recognised and declared Jesus to be the light of the world.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57Well, those words are sung now
0:15:57 > 0:16:01in the Nunc Dimittis, which is performed for us
0:16:01 > 0:16:04by Alexander Armstrong, to a setting by Charles Stanford.
0:16:14 > 0:16:21# Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
0:16:21 > 0:16:27# Depart in peace
0:16:27 > 0:16:32# Depart in peace
0:16:32 > 0:16:40# According to thy word
0:16:40 > 0:16:43# For mine eyes
0:16:43 > 0:16:47# For mine eyes
0:16:47 > 0:16:54# Have seen thy salvation
0:16:54 > 0:16:58# Which thou hast prepared
0:16:58 > 0:17:02# Which thou hast prepared
0:17:02 > 0:17:10# Before the face of all people
0:17:15 > 0:17:19# To be a light
0:17:19 > 0:17:25# To lighten the Gentiles
0:17:27 > 0:17:31# To be a light
0:17:31 > 0:17:37# To lighten the Gentiles
0:17:37 > 0:17:45# And to be the glory
0:17:45 > 0:17:51# And to be the glory
0:17:51 > 0:17:57# Of thy people Israel
0:17:57 > 0:18:05# To be the glory
0:18:05 > 0:18:12# Of thy people Israel
0:18:18 > 0:18:23# Lord, now lettest
0:18:23 > 0:18:30# Thou thy servant
0:18:32 > 0:18:38# Depart
0:18:38 > 0:18:44# In peace. #
0:18:52 > 0:18:56The celebration of Chinese New Year is
0:18:56 > 0:18:59a colourful and vibrant addition to the British calendar
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and for the Chinese community it's an important link
0:19:03 > 0:19:07to their heritage, but one in five Chinese people living the UK would
0:19:07 > 0:19:12say that they're Christian, so what does the festival mean for them?
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Jackie and Holly are members of a Chinese Pentecostal church,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22and I joined them at home as they prepare to celebrate the New Year.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Holly, thank you for letting me join you this evening.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30This is actually my first-ever Chinese New Year celebration meal.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32- Really? - So I've no idea what to expect.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33Well, my pleasure, then.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Well, we'll cook some traditional Chinese dishes.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Well, dumplings, definitely.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Try to make it a round shape.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'Holly grew up in China, where she was taught not to believe in God.'
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Yes, this is a beautiful crescent shape.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55'In 2002, she came to the UK, where she met her future husband,
0:19:55 > 0:19:56'a Christian.'
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Good job!
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Really? You're very kind.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04I met with Jackie, then he said to me that,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07"Do you want to come to church with me one day?"
0:20:07 > 0:20:10When I stepped in I saw people there,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12they were raising their hands in worship.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Strange.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17And you could see people weeping,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19and I started to weep as well.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22In school you were taught there's no God in this world.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It sticks in your head.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29My mind said to me, "Holly, what are you doing, why are you crying?"
0:20:29 > 0:20:32But my heart was really, like, melting.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Now I know it's God's love.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36He melted my heart.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39So how does the way you celebrate New Year differ
0:20:39 > 0:20:40now that you're a Christian?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Our grandma, or grandparents,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- they used to worship idols.- OK.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52We know that, well, it's actually God, he gave you everything,
0:20:52 > 0:20:58and he's the provider so then we worship God, of course,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02and we share food, with fellowship and because Chinese New Year
0:21:02 > 0:21:07is all about reunion and harmony and give thanks.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12THEY ALL CHATTER
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- Happy New Year!- Happy New Year.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Happy New Year.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52They do say that musical talent can sometimes run in the family,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and our next guest certainly seems to be proof of that.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57If I said we're going to hear from
0:25:57 > 0:26:00a country and western singer now, whose surname is Parton,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03you'd probably think I was talking about Dolly.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08Well, actually, her sister Stella is also a singer in her own right, too.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10And Aled has been to meet her.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13# Do your best and show the rest... #
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Dolly and Stella Parton began performing together
0:26:16 > 0:26:19as young children in the 1950s.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Six decades and thousands of songs later
0:26:21 > 0:26:25they still share the same love of country music.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26# More power to you
0:26:26 > 0:26:29# Stand up and make a choice
0:26:29 > 0:26:32# More power to you... #
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Stella, really great to meet you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It must have been quite a creative family.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39We were, I mean, we grew up on a farm in the mountains of
0:26:39 > 0:26:43East Tennessee so we had to make our own entertainment and
0:26:43 > 0:26:46our mother was very creative and so was my dad and my mother would
0:26:46 > 0:26:49always say, "If it doesn't hurt anybody, go ahead and try it,"
0:26:49 > 0:26:51so that's where she gave us permission
0:26:51 > 0:26:54to be as creative as we wanted to be.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55Were you brought up through faith?
0:26:55 > 0:27:02Very much. My faith would have to be the strongest part of my survival.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04What do you mean by that?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Well, I think that if you lose hope then you have lost everything
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and I became a Christian by the time I was five.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I remember praying and saying prayers for healing
0:27:13 > 0:27:17for different family members and things of this sort by the time
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I was five so, to me, I've always been a Christian.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I don't know what it would be like not to know
0:27:24 > 0:27:26a relationship with Jesus.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32'Stella spends her time performing and sharing her faith
0:27:32 > 0:27:33'in concerts around the US,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36'but for the last decade she's been creating an album with her
0:27:36 > 0:27:40'own versions of Dolly's songs, as a personal tribute to her sister.'
0:27:40 > 0:27:43You've been performing all your life,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- I think you've released something like 31 albums.- Yes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Why now this one?
0:27:48 > 0:27:53I think of it as paying respect to her contribution
0:27:53 > 0:27:58and I love her songwriting and this is my contribution
0:27:58 > 0:28:02and my expression of love to her.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06What did you say when you first mentioned the idea to her?
0:28:06 > 0:28:09She loved the idea. As a matter of fact, she kind of kept asking
0:28:09 > 0:28:11about it because I might not finished it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15She said, "I thought you were working on an album of my songs?"
0:28:15 > 0:28:16So, I said, "Well, I'm working on it."
0:28:16 > 0:28:20- You do a great impression of her, by the way.- I'm pretty good.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Tell us about the song that you're going to perform for us.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Keep On Walking is a song that I wrote,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31it's on my Testimony album, I just felt like it was
0:28:31 > 0:28:34a good one to sing at church and I just thought it was
0:28:34 > 0:28:37a good story about, you know, Scripture, you know,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41keeping the faith, you know, just keep the faith.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Just keep on going and you have to go through the door,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47you know, see what's on the other side of the door.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51# Peter stepped into the water
0:28:51 > 0:28:54# On the Sea of Galilee
0:28:54 > 0:28:57# Jesus said to Peter
0:28:57 > 0:29:00# You can come to me
0:29:00 > 0:29:02# Peter cried to Jesus
0:29:02 > 0:29:05# Can't you see I'm sinkin' down?
0:29:05 > 0:29:08# Jesus said to Peter
0:29:08 > 0:29:10# I'm not going to let you drown
0:29:12 > 0:29:14# Keep your eyes on me
0:29:14 > 0:29:17# Keep a-walkin' on in faith
0:29:17 > 0:29:20# Step-by-step believing
0:29:20 > 0:29:22# I won't let you lose your way
0:29:22 > 0:29:25# Don't you let nobody stop you
0:29:25 > 0:29:28# No matter what you think you see
0:29:28 > 0:29:31# You gotta keep on walkin'
0:29:31 > 0:29:33# And keep your eyes on me
0:29:40 > 0:29:43# The disciples got so worried
0:29:43 > 0:29:45# When the storm was all around
0:29:45 > 0:29:48# But the Lord kept right on sleeping
0:29:48 > 0:29:51# He did not hear a sound
0:29:51 > 0:29:53# The disciples started shouting
0:29:53 > 0:29:56# Lord, do something if you will
0:29:56 > 0:29:59# The Lord stretched out his gentle hand
0:29:59 > 0:30:02# And he said, peace, be still
0:30:02 > 0:30:05# Keep your eyes on me
0:30:05 > 0:30:08# Keep a-walkin' on in faith
0:30:08 > 0:30:11# Step-by-step believing
0:30:11 > 0:30:14# I won't let you lose your way
0:30:14 > 0:30:16# Don't you let nobody stop you
0:30:16 > 0:30:19# No matter what you think you see
0:30:19 > 0:30:22# You gotta keep on walkin'
0:30:22 > 0:30:26# And keep your eyes on me
0:30:26 > 0:30:29# You gotta wade into the water
0:30:29 > 0:30:32# Lose the fear that you might drown
0:30:32 > 0:30:34# Walk out on the water
0:30:34 > 0:30:36# As if it was dry ground
0:30:36 > 0:30:39# Keep your eyes on me
0:30:39 > 0:30:42# Keep a-walkin' on in faith
0:30:42 > 0:30:45# Step-by-step believing
0:30:45 > 0:30:47# I won't let you lose your way
0:30:47 > 0:30:50# Don't you let nobody stop you
0:30:50 > 0:30:53# No matter what you think you see
0:30:53 > 0:30:55# You gotta keep on walkin'
0:30:55 > 0:30:58# And keep your eyes on me
0:30:59 > 0:31:02# You gotta keep on
0:31:02 > 0:31:03# Keep on
0:31:03 > 0:31:05# Keep on walkin'
0:31:05 > 0:31:07# Keep your eyes on
0:31:07 > 0:31:12# Keep on, keep on, keep on walking
0:31:12 > 0:31:16# Keep your eyes on me
0:31:18 > 0:31:21# Peter stepped into the water
0:31:21 > 0:31:24# On the Sea of Galilee. #
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Next week we're in Hampshire at the home of novelist Jane Austen,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39to celebrate the life and writing of this clergyman's daughter.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43But our final hymn today is one by Charles Wesley -
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48A fitting way to mark new beginnings.