St Mary's Parish Magazine - March 2001
Christians’ view
of the environment
Readings for
Sundays and festivals in April
On Sunday April 1 (Lent 5) instead
of Evensong the choir will present the well-known Passiontide cantata The Crucifixion by Sir John Stainer.
Be sure to join the ringers for an
evening of “Pub Games” in the Church Centre on Saturday
March 18.
Jenifer Davison will be speaking on
“Monasticism”, drawing on her own experiences over several years, in the
Church Centre on Tuesday March 20. Les Couzens and Helen Clare will be in the
same place on Tuesday March 27 to talk about their experiences with the BBC.
Both are at 7.30pm.
The rush to take up the Editor’s
offer of his chair for someone to produce the May magazine while he is
off to Australia for a bellringing jolly was distinctly underwhelming.
Therefore there won’t be one! So if you have anything that you desperately want
people to know about in May it will have to appear in the April magazine. Don’t
delay!
Now she is comfortably ensconced in
her new home, Wendy McDonald would love to give anyone who dropped in a
cup of tea or coffee. You’ll find her at 8a Frolesworth Road, Broughton Astley,
Leics LE9 6PE, or call her on 01455 284109.
There are two special services
locally to mark Women’s World Day of Prayer on Friday March 2. At
10.30am Revd Audrey Shilling will be preaching at Holy Trinity, while at St
Elphege’s at 7.30pm the speaker will be Amanda Hill.
Bells are used in churches to call
people to worship. St Mary’s has been calling people in this way since the time
of the first Queen Elizabeth.
Eight of our current 10 bells were
installed in 1869, with two more added in 1877. The last major overhaul was in
1928. Now the oak frame in which the bells are hung is showing signs of rot and
the mechanical fittings are wearing out, making ringing increasingly difficult.
The bells need to be rehung in a
modern steel and cast iron frame with new fixtures and fittings. Some
structural work to the tower is also necessary in order to preserve the
stonework. There will need to be some work to the clock as well to ensure it
continues to remind the people of Beddington of the passing of time! The clock
chime apparatus will also be brought back into operation.
This will be a costly project, with
our beautiful and historic church needing to find up to £100,000 to allow this
necessary work to take place. This figure can be reduced by doing some of the
work ourselves but there will still be a substantial sum to raise. So where is
the money coming from?
Last month the Church Treasurer gave
an upbeat report on the state of St Mary’s finances, but warned that there was
still a way to go before our debts are cleared. She has, however, promised to
give us her utmost support. She has also made it firmly clear that giving to
the church through the Housekeeping List, or any other way, must not suffer. St
Mary’s still has a day-to-day existence.
So much of the money will have to
come from outside the parish. For years the ringers themselves have been
salting away a proportion of the money they receive for ringing for weddings
and have chipped in around £6,000. We can also expect a useful sum from the
Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers - currently their level of grants is
around the £10,000 mark. We shall be knocking on the doors of various other
grant-making bodies and hope to tap the Lottery fund. We shall keep an eye on Who
Wants to be a Millionaire? to see if anyone from St Mary’s turns up. And
there’s always the National Lottery - it might just be us!
Local companies will be approached
for help, though that may turn out to be with practical assistance rather than
cash.
The ringers will be organising many
fund-raising events to help us on our way. One you will actually hear is on
Saturday October 6 when former St Mary’s ringers who have moved away will be
returning to ring a peal, bringing (we hope) generous sponsorship forms with
them.
We have already received some
generous donations from parishioners - some anonymously. For these we offer our
heartfelt thanks.
Some money has started to flow in
from events the ringers have been involved in so far - such as the Christmas
Fair and the Quiz Night - and we still have aprons, tea towels, etc, for sale
from time to time. There will also be regular sales of the outstandingly tasty
marmalade on the occasional Sunday morning. And Pam Aylmore organised a Coffee
Morning which brought in a useful sum.
There are other events in the
pipeline. Next is the Pub Games evening on
Saturday March 17 (see page 7). Plans are afoot for a concert in church
sometime and for a Karaoke night on Saturday November 10. At some stage there
will probably be a sponsored swim and a Grand Draw next year.
Please support as many events as you
can - and bring your friends! If you wish to help by organising an event of
your own - fine, but please tell the ringers, so that we don’t clash with
dates.
If you (or your friends) wish to
make a contribution to this worthy cause, please hand your gift to Stewart
Kimber or Cassie Tillett (as church treasurer) making cheques payable to St
Mary’s Tower and Bells Fund. If you are a taxpayer, then you can help us a
little bit more by filling in the appropriate form obtainable through the
treasurer or the ringers or from the church.
Jean and Stewart Kimber
The Canterbury Press (a printing
subdivision of Hymns Ancient & Modern) has brought out a whole
series of devotional books intended to assist and inform on our journey through
Lent. Each costs no more than £6 or £7, and they can no doubt be ordered
through the Oasis bookshop in Wallington, where a small discount is available
to local churches.
The following look particularly
interesting, and Selwyn would be glad to hear from anyone who actually decides
to make any of these their own spiritual investigation for Lent:
Days of Grace by Raymond Chapman - a daily companion to Lent,
taking as our guide the Biblical images of journeys, mountains, light, food and
healing.
Flesh, Bone, Wood by Geoffrey Rowell - a series of daily spiritual
exercises based on Christ’s Passion, inviting us to witness the end of Jesus’s
life in our own imagination.
Meditations for Lent by Norman Goodacre - a collection of short readings
for older people, on a variety of subjects, intended to make Lent less tedious!
Resurrection’s Children by Donald Allchin - the long history of Christianity
in Wales, and the ways in which well-known spiritual figures have trod the
pilgrim road.
Strange Design by Philip Crowe - the Archbishop of Wales’ Lent book
last year. It explores the idea of providence - how is God present in today’s
world?
Waking with Praise by Paul Iles - a devotional companion leading us
through Holy Week into the whole 50 days of the Easter season, preparing us for
the excitement and challenges of the road ahead.
I am delighted to commend to you
this year’s Lent Call.
Five projects from around the world
have been selected to benefit from money raised by this year’s call. They are:
Various projects in Zimbabwe,
including the Nyamarimira Community Energy Project, the provision of breeding
cows in Central Zimbabwe, the provision of Bibles and related literature and
help for AIDS orphans in the Diocese of Matabeleland (eastern Zimbabwe)
The Children’s Day Centre at St
Stephen’s Hospital in New Delhi
The replacement of worship books
for the Church in Mozambique
A new library for Codrington
Theological College, Barbados (where Bishop Wilfred trained)
And
finally, and closer to home
The provision of a new van for the
Shaftesbury Resources Centre in Camberwell
Lent is a holy time in which we join
with Christians the world over to still our souls in preparation for the Easter
resurrection. I hope that the Lent Call will encourage you in your fasting and
self-denial, enabling you to give to others less well-off than ourselves as our
Lord gave in such great love for us.
May his blessing be upon you as you
keep this Lent, and his joy fill you with grace and hope when we celebrate his
resurrection.
Grace and peace to you all
† Thomas
Southwark
There will be detailed information
about each of these five projects on the notice boards under the tower and in
the Centre.
On the Fridays in Lent, beginning on
March 2, the usual lunches will take place at The Rectory. Each session begins at
12.45 for 1.00pm; there will be a reading about one of the projects, followed
by some silence for our own thoughts and meditation. The silence concludes with
prayer and a bread and cheese lunch. Afterwards there is the opportunity to
contribute to the Bishop’s Appeal, in support of the project we have been
thinking about that day. In past years these lunches have raised upwards of
£100 towards the Appeal, and formed our major contribution to it.
No need to warn Selwyn beforehand,
just turn up! If separately anyone would like to donate towards the Appeal and
allow the organisers to reclaim tax on the donation, please speak to Heather or
Cassie.
This is the overall title for the series
of five Wednesday evening meetings at St Elphege’s during Lent. As explained
last month, this whole series grew out of a discussion in St Mary’s PCC about
environmental issues, and it would be good to see St Mary’s well represented in
the numbers attending each time.
The speakers and their themes are on
page 13. The format of each evening will be the same - the keynote address will
begin each session, after a few words of welcome at 8.00pm, and a prayer, from
the chairman. Around 8.50 there is the opportunity for refreshments and general
chat, after which there will be a plenary session, with questions to the
speaker, closing in prayer at around 9.45. There will be a voluntary
contribution of £1 per person to help defray expenses.
This is one of the most adventurous
things Churches Together has been able to organise for quite some time, and we
hope that the issues the series raises will be of great interest to people of
any faith, or of none. Small handbills will be available for distribution - please
give it all the publicity you can!
World Water Day - which is the day
specifically designated by the United Nations to think about world water issues
- falls this year on Thursday March 22. It is a terrible fact that more than a
quarter of the world’s population does not have access to clean water supplies.
WaterAid is the UK’s only major
charity dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water,
sanitation and hygiene promotion to the world’s poorest people. It works in 15
countries in Africa and Asia with partner organisations, and with the
communities themselves, to establish permanent supplies of clean water - all
the projects use simple technology which can be easily maintained. The cost of
each project is only around £10.
If anyone would like to make a
donation towards this remarkably cost-effective and life-saving charity, please
pass your donation to Selwyn at any time in the week between Sunday 18 and
Sunday 25 March.
If you are not on the Electoral Roll
of St Mary’s, but would like to be, you have the opportunity very shortly when
the Roll receives its annual update before the Annual Parochial Church
Meeting. Simply obtain an application
form from Mary Tapp at any time from Tuesday March 6 onwards, and return it to
her, duly completed, at any time up to the end of Monday March 19.
Mary (or the form itself) will
explain the necessary qualifications, and once she has your returned form the
system will do the rest. You will then be eligible to vote during the Annual
Meeting itself, which takes place in the Centre at 8.00pm on Tuesday April 3.
The minutes of last year’s Annual
Meeting, this year’s Annual Report and Financial Statement from the PCC, and
the Agenda for this year’s meeting, will all be available in good time around
the middle of March. Among the business of the meeting is the election of
Churchwardens and PCC members for the coming year. If you are considering standing
for election in either of these capacities, then the relevant forms will also
be available in plenty of time.
If you would like to take part in
those elections, but are not able to attend the meeting itself, then you can
apply beforehand for a postal vote. Application forms for these will also be
available before the end of March. Once again the system will then come into
action. It works like this:
Return your application form to
Selwyn, Gerrie England, Margaret Freeman or Diana Harries before the Annual
Meeting on April 3. Should an election
be necessary, a voting paper will be got to you by the evening of Thursday the
5th. You then have up to 12 days in which to think, pray, vote, fold your paper
and return it to The Rectory.
Papers must be returned sometime
during the week from Tuesday the 10th to Tuesday the 17th, and they will be
stored safely and unopened as they arrive, together with the papers filled out
during the meeting itself. That period includes most of Holy Week and Easter
weekend itself.
Selwyn will as usual be on holiday
immediately after Easter, but as Chairman of the PCC he is required to be
available during the count. All voting papers will therefore be counted at the
earliest possible opportunity, the morning of Monday April 23, by people who
have not been candidates in any of the elections. All candidates will be
notified of the result that same day; the new PCC will be announced during the
9.30 Eucharist on Sunday 29 April, and commissioned the following week, Sunday
6 May.
That is in plenty of time for the
new Churchwardens and PCC members to attend the Archdeacon’s Visitation and
Swearing-In on the evening of Wednesday May 16, though the venue for this
service has not yet been announced. It falls, of course, in the middle of
Christian Aid Week.
The first meeting of the new PCC,
which is normally fairly brief and consists largely of appointments to
committees and election of officers, will take place in the Centre after the
Eucharist on the evening of Ascension Day, Thursday May 24.
Crucifixion, the Passiontide canata to be presented by the choir
on April 1, is probably the most widely-known work of John Stainer, the
Victorian composer. It was first performed at St Marylebone parish church in
1887, where it is now traditional to sing the work every year on Good Friday.
John Stainer was born in Southwark
in 1840. He began his musical career as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral
where he was later invited to return as organist at the age of 32. No small
recommendation for his talents, which brought to the cathedral’s music a
world-wide reputation for excellence.
At the age of 16, Stainer had
achieved the position of organist at St Michael’s College, Tenbury - a centre
for the study of church music founded by Frederick Ouseley (himself a musical
prodigy who became both a priest and a Professor of Music). After Tenbury,
Stainer went on to Oxford, where he was organist at Magdalen College while
continuing his music studies. Both Ouseley and Stainer are credited with
raising the standard of music in English churches - Stainer’s excellent text
book “The Organ” must have helped many a parish organist.
Back in London from Oxford, Stainer
became Organ Professor at the National Training School, now the Royal College
of Music, and succeeded Sir Arthur Sullivan as principal in 1881.
Although he edited “The English
Hymnary” (1898), Stainer did not leave us many hymn tunes of his own. He
harmonised the plainsong tune we know as “Veni Creator” and wrote “Charity”, to
which was sung “Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost”, and “In Memoriam” (“There’s a
friend for little children”).
All these show a fine sensitivity
between the air and the bass. It is a pity that the “Friend for little
children” carries a message, popular at the time, no doubt, which now seems
sadly dated. “Charity” was much sung before the 1939-45 war when it was common
practice to augment the time on the last line to good effect.
Somehow it does not seem enough to
become a good musician and perform church music if one does not also care about
the high purpose for which the church was founded, and endeavour to make the
one serve the other. But Stainer seems to have been just such an ideal person.
He served St Paul’s until his failing eyesight made it impossible for him to go
on.
In 1888, the year he resigned from
the cathedral, John Stainer, BA, DMus, became Sir John. He died in Italy in
1901.
Les Couzens and Pat Kingsbury
Funerals
Jan 26 Irene Edith Carlton, aged 53, of 242
Croydon Rd
Feb 2 May Elizabeth Jones, aged 86, of 96
Crispin Cres
5 Margaret Ethel Smart, aged 79, of 237
Croydon Rd
12
Irene Mabel Kathleen Green, aged 81,
of 14 Bute Gardens
|
Thu |
1 |
MU&OG: National Trust - The
Ups and Downs of Box Hill, a talk by Peter Creasey. Church Centre |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
2 |
Women’s World Day of Prayer |
|
|
|
|
Lent Lunch at the Rectory |
12.45pm |
|
Sat |
3 |
Parish Away Day at St Michael’s
Convent, Ham |
|
|
Sun |
4 |
LENT 1 |
|
|
Tue |
6 |
Parents and Toddlers meet, Church |
10.00am |
|
|
|
PCC meets, Vestry |
8.00pm |
|
Wed |
7 |
Magazine Panel meets, 2 Peaks Hill |
11.00am |
|
|
|
St Mary’s Guild: The Rector
entertains. St Mary’s Court |
2.30pm |
|
|
|
Churches Together Lent meeting. St
Elphege’s |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
9 |
Lent Lunch at the Rectory |
12.45pm |
|
|
|
Sunday School leaders meet, 41
Bond Gardens |
8.00pm |
|
Sun |
11 |
LENT 2 |
|
|
Tue |
13 |
Social Committee meets, 2 Caraway
Place |
8.00pm |
|
Wed |
14 |
Churches Together Lent meeting. St
Elphege’s |
8.00pm |
|
Thu |
15 |
MU&OG: “Brother Bede - a remarkable
life". A talk by the Rector. Church Centre |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
16 |
Lent Lunch at the Rectory |
12.45pm |
|
Sat |
17 |
“Pub Games” evening. Church Centre |
7.30pm |
|
Sun |
18 |
LENT 3 |
|
|
Mon |
19 |
St Joseph of Nazareth: Eucharist |
9.30am |
|
Tue |
20 |
“Monasticism” a talk by Jenifer
Davison Church Centre |
7.30pm |
|
Wed |
21 |
Churches Together Lent meeting. St
Elphege’s |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
23 |
Lent Lunch at the Rectory |
12.45pm |
|
|
|
Social Committee meets 2 Caraway
Place |
8.00pm |
|
Sun |
25 |
LENT 4 Mothering Sunday |
|
|
|
|
British Summertime begins |
|
|
Mon |
26 |
The Annunciation: Sung Eucharist |
7.30pm |
|
Tue |
27 |
“On the Air”: Helen Clare and Les
Couzens talk about their experiences at the BBC. Church Centre |
7.30pm |
|
Wed |
28 |
Churches Together Lent meeting. St
Elphege’s |
8.00pm |
Sun Apr 1
Lent 5
Isaiah 43: 16-21 (page 835)
Philippians 3: 4b-14 (page 836)
Sun Apr 8
Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50: 4-9a (page 840)
Thu Apr 12
Maundy Thursday
Exodus 12: 1-14 (page 162)
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 (page 165)
Fri Apr 13
Good Friday
Isaiah 52: 13, 53: 12 (page 167)
Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5: 7-9 (page 172)
Sun Apr 15
Easter Day
Acts 10: 34-43 (page 851)
1 Corinthians 15: 19-26 (page 855)
Sun Apr 22
Easter 2
Acts 5: 27-32 (page 859)
Revelations 1: 4-8 (page 862)
Mon Apr 23
St George
Revelations 12: 7-12 (page 1074)
2 Timothy 2: 3-13 (page 1076)
Sun Apr 29
Easter 3
Acts 9: 1-6 (7-20)
(page 864)
Revelations 5: 11-14 (page 867)
Wed 7 Perpetua, Felicity and their companions,
martyrs at Carthage, 203
Sat 17 Patrick, bishop, missionary, Patron of
Ireland, c460
Mon 19 Joseph of Nazareth
Wed 21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury,
Reformation martyr, 1556
Sun Mar 4
Canticles: Fauxbourdon - Morley
Anthem: Surely he hath borne our griefs - Handel
Sun Mar 11
Canticles: Holam in F minor
Anthem: Out of the deep have I called - Morley