St Mary's Parish Magazine -
January 2002
WHATS ON THIS
MONTH? - January
Readings for
Sundays and Festivals in February
Daily prayer
topics in January
The bellringers annual quiz night takes place in the Church Centre on
Saturday February 2. Arrangements are much the same as in past years. Fish and
chip supper will be provided, together with tea or coffee if required.
Otherwise bring your own drinks and glasses. Teams should number no more than
six but if you think you might be on your own then have a word with Pat
Kingsbury. Doors open at 7.00pm with the first question at 7.30. Tickets 6.
Contact Jean or Stewart Kimber by January 27 for bookings
We are sorry to record the death early in December of Canon Joan
Collinson
The
prayer books, containing prayers and meditations supplied by members of St
Marys and called Inner Chambers, is now on sale in church on the
literature table under the organ pipe in the tower. Its a real bargain at 2.
The
Bible Study Group will begin life again on Monday January 7, and will meet weekly until February 11 which is the
last Monday before Lent. Arrangements
will be the same as before, except that it will meet at a new venue at Rob
and Carolyn Churchyards house, 23 Mortlake Close.
The
pre-communion group for young people begins again on Sunday January 13, and members of the group will be
admitted to Communion for the first time on Sunday the 27th. Please remember to include them in your
prayers as they approach this important step on their Christian journeys.
Dont
forget - if the magazine is out in time - that New Years Day will be
celebrated with a Eucharist at 10.00am.
Howard
Smith, Chaplain at St Helier Hospital, is urgently seeking volunteers to take
patients from their wards to the chapel on an occasional Sunday morning between
9.00 and 11.00. He would be very grateful for any offers - give him a call on
8296 2306.
On Sunday January 6 (The Epiphany) and thereafter, you will notice a
board up somewhere in church with a large map of the parish. This may be
particularly useful for a while as we all get used to our new enlarged
boundaries since several additional roads came into the parish in August. Its
main purpose is one which parishes like St Marys often have, namely to make it
easy to identify whereabouts in the parish the roads actually are that are
being prayed for each Sunday morning. Sunday by Sunday that days roads will be
marked with flags or pins so that no-one can say weve forgotten where so and
so is!
There is of course a wider and more serious point behind this. A
substantial majority of our regular congregation, for all kinds of good
reasons, dont live within the parish. Its sometimes a little difficult to be
enthusiastic and whole-hearted for something being done for the parish when a
lot of the parish is actually foreign territory to many of us. In this way we
can all become more aware of the people and industries we are called to serve
locally.
The map will at least begin its life in the space under the stained
glass window to the left of the lectern, where the piano used to be and where
the PCCs suggestion is that our votive stand, enabling people to light candles
as a mark of prayer, might one day be. It may be a useful reminder to have the
map in our thoughts as the roads are being prayed for. And - for the really
adventurous - put Sunday May 5, Rogation Sunday, in your diaries now. I am cooking up a scheme for a Rogationtide walk
around the complete new parish boundaries. Should be a pleasant afternoon
stroll of about 8 miles . . .
The government has introduced a programme of Neighbourhood Renewal, the
intention of which is to ensure that there is full involvement of every section
of a local community in the planning and delivery of local services of all
kinds. It aims to include representatives of local private, public and
voluntary sectors, together with people from ethnic minority groups and
faith-communities of all kinds. The churches are particularly invited to play a
full part in discussions before, during and after the setting-up of this
scheme.
Accordingly the Croydon Community Regeneration Network has set up a
meeting, for church members, to explain the scheme and the churches possible
involvement more fully. This takes place on Saturday January 12, from 10am to
1pm, in Croydon parish church hall. If anyone would be interested in attending
- effectively on behalf of St Marys - then please speak to me not later than
the previous Sunday, January 6.
In place of Evensong on Sunday January 20, Churches Together are as
usual marking the Week of Prayer for Unity with a United Service. It takes
place at St Patricks in Wallington at 6.30pm.
The guest speaker will be Steve Chalke, of the Oasis Trust, who is
intending to offer some ideas on how local churches can work together more
effectively. Please do come and support our fellow local members of the Body of
Christ.
Following that service, from 8.15pm to 9.30pm, there will be a separate
joint Youth Service, to which all people in local churches between the ages of
11 and 18 are particularly invited. As well as providing opportunities of
mixing, worshipping and playing giant Jenga together, Steve Chalke will also
speak to this group for about 20 minutes.
And some advance notice. On Friday February 1, Candlemas, there will be
a Choral Eucharist at 7.30pm. It will as usual begin in the Centre as we hear
the proclamation of Jesus as the Light of the World, and we then carry our
lighted candles in procession into church before the Eucharist continues in the
usual way.
The following day, Saturday the 2nd, sees the return of that popular
annual favourite The Ringers Quiz. And finally in this busy weekend, dont
forget that on Sunday the 3rd there will be NO 9.30am Eucharist! That is the
day when we have accepted the invitation from St Michaels congregation to join
them for their 130th Anniversary Eucharist, at which Bishop Tom will both
preside and preach.
Wednesday February 6 is the real date of the 50th anniversary of the
Queens accession to the throne, which is being nationally marked with two Bank
Holidays at the beginning of June. The 10am Eucharist that day will take this
as its particular topic for prayer and thanksgiving. The service will be in the
normal straightforward weekday format and in the Carew chapel, unless large
numbers of people tell Selwyn beforehand that they will be coming, in which
case the format will still be simple but it will be easier to use the High
Altar. Please signify to the curate - as the Prayer Book used to say - by
Candlemas at the latest!
On Saturday January 5 we continue to celebrate Christmas and the turning
of the year with Wassail! - an evening of poetry and prose in the Church
Centre, beginning at 7.30pm. The seasonal readings on a variety of themes,
lighthearted and serious, are chosen and read by the usual team of Jackie
Egerton, Harold Hore, Mary Tapp, Selwyn and Cassie. In keeping with all such
events the evening includes a hot supper and something to drink. An excellent
way to begin the New Year or stave off the post-Christmas blues, and the
perfect antidote to the January sales.
Tickets available from members of the Social Committee - 5 (4
concessions), as the first fund-raiser for the 2002 Shopping List!
Selwyn Tillett
It is unbelievable that we managed to raise a total of 1,455 for the
Shopping List and the tower fund at the Christmas Fair on December 1. (Who said
2,000 next year . . .?) Very special thanks to all for the most generous
donations of gifts to both the raffle and the tombola - they made both stalls a
great success.
Many thanks too to everyone who added to the handicrafts and bric-a-brac
and to the cooks for all the beautiful and delicious cakes; also to Gwen
Whiting and her companions for manning the kitchen and providing sustenance
during the day.
To the many hands that made light work when getting the church and hall
ready for the day and dismantling again, to all who manned stalls - it couldnt
have been done without you - and especially my husband.
Thank you, bellringers, for entertaining us in your most unique way - it
was much appreciated. And finally thank you to the foot-soldiers for delivering
the notices around and about prior to the fair - as we all know, advertising
our events is crucial.
May I wish a new year full of happiness, peace and love.
Anne May
But most thanks are due to Anne for her unstinting enthusiasm - without
her the event most certainly would not have taken place - Ed.
Dear Editor - The fact that every cloud has a silver lining is a clich
more honoured by its failure to happen than otherwise. Nonetheless, Selwyns
recent indisposition on a Sunday morning gave us the opportunity to indulge in
a favourite service of mine, namely Morning Prayer.
Betty, Andrew and the team hurriedly cobbled together the service and
although its preparation may have been rushed, it certainly lacked nothing of
the necessary dignity and allowed the opportunity for reflection and worship.
It is true that the liturgical hybrid we created contained elements of the
usual Sunday morning service and did not contain all the parts of a full BCP
Morning Prayer but the congregation was afforded a chance to greet the day with
prayer and thoughtfulness.
Not having a Te Deum or Jubilate on the blocks that the choir could sing
meant that rather more of the service was said than would be usual, but it was
pleasant that there was a set of Tudor Responses (by Thomas Tomkins) available
for enhancing some of the prayers. The Precis and Responses will be familiar to
all who worship regularly on a Sunday at Evensong but these prayers deserve a
wider audience.
There is a wealth of musical literature (if not as broad as that for the
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, certainly as rich) for the morning canticles and
it would be pleasant to have the opportunity to worship with its help from time
to time.
Now that, under albeit unfortunate circumstances as far as Selwyn was
concerned), we have had a glimpse of Morning Prayer perhaps very occasionally
we could institute a change of service routine on a Sunday and swap a Choral
Eucharist for a Morning Prayer and Evensong for the Choral Eucharist.
Kevin Winstone
Has the Mothers Union reached its sell-by date? was the topic for
debate for the Deanery Synod held at St Barnabas church, Sutton, on December 3.
The main speaker was Maureen Kyle, who gave us a fairly detailed resum
of the history, purpose and work of the MU, both in the UK and overseas. St
Marys parish does not need me to repeat that here, as our own branch keeps us
well-informed of MU activities.
Questions and comments from the floor then followed. It was pointed out
that nearly all the MUs work was covered by other organisations as well and
that some people might feel able to relate better to the non-church based
organisations.
The greatest concern though, was the name. It was considered sexist,
divisive and non-PC (mostly by men, I have to say). The reply came that this
very thing had been debated at the last Lambeth Conference and the members of
MU from other countries had been most vociferous in their plea for the title to
remain unchanged. Australia had adopted the title MU Australia and never had
the word mother spelled out in full. It was made clear that one did not have
to be a mother to join (nor even be married) and that men too could become
members.
I had a small debate with two male clergy who thought the title was
definitely past its sell-by date. I asked them what they would prefer it to be
called but they had no ideas! I also said that I thought many overseas members
were from countries where women were still considered second-class citizens and
an organisation where they could come into their own was probably very
worthwhile. I did get a grudging acceptance there.
The MU does a very worthwhile job in so many areas of society and
whether were involved or not, we shouldnt knock something that works. As is
said, If its not broken, dont try to mend it.
In the Parish Profile of St Barnabas we learned that the church was
built in 1884 on land reclaimed from a rubbish site. In the 1960s there was a
Sunday School of 500 children plus 60 teachers! There are still young people
around but there is a noticeable gap in the teenage years (sounds familiar).
8.00am sees a Book of Common Prayer Communion and Sung Eucharist with robed
choir is at 10.00am.
There is a large hall, which houses a Parish Office as well as the usual
facilities, and is a good source of revenue. St Barnabass aim is to become
more involved as a church in the community. It wants to be a church with a
roof(!) but no walls of age, race or gender.
We received reports from Diocesan Synod and the various Boards and were
reminded that All Saints church (across Beddington Park) is to be called All
Saints Hackbridge and Beddington Corner.
|
Tue |
1 |
NEW YEARS DAY |
|
|
|
|
Eucharist |
10.00am |
|
Wed |
2 |
St Marys Guild meets, St Marys Court |
2.30pm |
|
|
|
Finance committee meets at the Rectory |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
4 |
Magazine panel meets, 2 Peaks Hill |
Noon |
|
Sat |
5 |
Wassail! Poetry, Prose and
Supper. Church Centre |
7.30pm |
|
Sun |
6 |
EPIPHANY |
|
|
Mon |
7 |
Bible study group meets, 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00pm |
|
Tue |
8 |
Parents and Toddlers Party, Church |
10.00am |
|
Sun |
13 |
BAPTISM OF CHRIST |
|
|
|
|
Young peoples pre-communion group meets in
the Carew Chapel |
11.00am |
|
Mon |
14 |
Bible Study group meets, 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00pm |
|
Wed |
16 |
MU Corporate Eucharist |
10.00am |
|
Thu |
17 |
MU&OG New Year Party. Church Centre |
8.00pm |
|
|
|
Deanery Synod meets |
7.45pm |
|
Fri |
18 |
Start of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |
|
|
Sat |
19 |
Trustees of St Marys Court meet. St Marys
Court |
10.00am |
|
Sun |
20 |
EPIPHANY 2 |
|
|
|
|
Young peoples pre-communion group meets in
the Carew Chapel |
11.00am |
|
|
|
United service at St Patricks |
7.00pm |
|
Mon |
21 |
Bible Study Group meets, 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00pm |
|
Sun |
27 |
EPIPHANY 3 |
|
|
Mon |
28 |
PCC meets, Vestry |
8.00pm |
Fri Feb 1
Candlemas
Malachi 3: 1-5 (page 60)
Hebrews 2: 14-18 (page 63)
Luke 2: 22-40 (page 63)
Sun Feb 10
Sunday before Lent
To be arranged by district Guides and Brownies
Wed Feb 13
Ash Wednesday
Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17 (page 97)
or Isaiah 58: 1-12 (page 98)
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (page 101)
Matthew 6: 1-6, 17-21 (page 102)
Sun Feb 17
Lent 1
Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 (page 105)
Romans 5: 12-19 (page 107)
Matthew 4: 1-11 (page 108)
Sun Feb 24
Lent 2
Genesis 12: 1-4a (page 109)
Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17 (page 110)
Sat 12 Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167
Sat 19 Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095
Mon 21 Agnes, child-martyr at Rome, 304
Fri 25 Conversion of St Paul
Sat 26 Timothy and Titus, companions of Paul
Mon 28 Thomas Aquinas, priest, philosopher, teacher, 1274
Wed 30 Charles king and martyr, 1549
Tue 1 Prayer for Gods direction in the new year ahead
Wed 2 Peace in our troubled world
Thu 3 All those returning to work and school
Fri 4 Local uniformed organisations
Sat 5 Thanksgiving for Christs revelation to the world
Sun 6 Our tower and handbell ringers
Mon 7 Our Bible Study group
Tue 8 Our parents and toddlers group
Wed 9 The local clergy fraternal
Thu 10 The Deanery clergy chapter
Fri 11 Our choir and servers
Sat 12 Our readers and intercessors
Sun 13 Those being baptised today
Mon 14 All planning to be married here this year
Tue 15 Local clergy attending post-ordination courses
Wed 16 The Social Committee, planning events for the rest of the
year
Thu 17 Deanery Synod, meeting tonight
Fri 18 All who work and pray for the increasing
unity of Christians
Sat 19 Spiritual directors and retreat conductors
Sun 20 Those leading the united service at St Patricks tonight
Mon 21 All who are persecuted or ridiculed for their faith
Tue 22 People of other Christian traditions
Wed 23 People of other faiths
Thu 24 Christians involved in education
Fri 25 Preachers and evangelists
Sat 26 Our bishops and the administrators of the diocese
Sun 27 Young people being admitted to Communion today
Mon 28 The PCC meeting tonight
Tue 29 Our local councillors
Wed 30 Our local MPs
Thu 31 Local shops and businesses
Sun Jan 6
Canticles: Brewer in D
Anthem: There shall a star from Jacob come forth -Mendelssohn
Sun Jan 13
Canticles: Homan in F minor
Anthem: How beautiful upon the mountains - Stainer
Sun Jan 27
Canticles: Sumsion in G
Anthem Seek him the seven stars - Elgar
Click
here to return to home page