St Mary’s Parish Magazine –
May 2002
On the Bank Holiday on
May 6 the church will not be open during the day as preparations will be under
way for the concert in the evening by the Albinoni String Orchestra. Tickets
are available now, priced £6 (£5 concessions) or £3 for students. Family tickets are also available (2 adults
and two or more children) at £15. This
includes refreshments, which will be served in the Centre during the
interval. Proceeds go both to church
funds and to the Winged Fellowship.
Ascension Day on Thursday May 9 will be
celebrated with a Choral Eucharist at 7.30pm.
On Sunday evening, May 12, there is a joint
service for the beginning of Christian Aid Week, held at St Michael’s at
6.30pm. This is not an event just for
those intending to collect on behalf of the charity throughout the week, but
all collectors will be “commissioned” for their work in the course of it. Accordingly there will be no Evensong at St
Mary’s that day.
The ringers thank all the
Sainsbury’s shoppers who put their pennies in the collecting box at the
Wallington store during March. The total raised was £206, about £40 more than
was raised in January and February - well done!
A reminder that preparation for the
Confirmation service in September is now under way. Bishop Colin of Woolwich
will preside. If you are considering being confirmed have a word with Selwyn as
soon as possible.
A word of advance notice - we are observing
Sunday June 2 as the day of Thanksgiving for the Gift of the Eucharist (Corpus
Christi). All who serve, read,
intercede or have any other regular role at the 8.00 or 9.30 Eucharists on
Sundays need to be in church for the 9.30am service that day, so that we can
thank you for all your work in the past year and commission you for it in the
year ahead!
The ringers are hoping to hold a
photographic display over the Jubilee holiday weekend, June 2-3 when the church
will be open. The theme is “The past 50 years”. Have you any photographs of
life during that period? They would like to show local scenes - the church,
park, village, Wallington, etc, fashions, hairstyles, transport, coronation
memories; anything showing the changes of life through the years. Please call
Jean Kimber on 8660 4254 if you think you can help. (All photographs will be
returned.) The ringers also hope to provide refreshments in the Centre on both
days.
The ringers’ auction on the evening of June
15 at St Patrick’s hall is taking shape with a number of interesting “promises”
already for sale as well as more solid items.
In his report to the
Annual Parochial Church Meeting, the Rector said he regarded 2001 as the year
in in which he saw real signs of St Mary’s financial burden lifting, and
congratulated everyone who had been involved in putting St Mary’s in a position
where debts of £100,000 just a few years ago were likely to be eradicated by
the end of 2003. But he warned that the costs of being a Christian were going
to rise in the next few years as more of the costs of running the Diocese would
fall on individual parishes. (See Facing
the Future).
He noted the wider role
of Churches Together, highlighting the Music Festival in the summer and the
Christmas Day meal organised at St Michael’s.
He thanked - and
congratulated - all who worked for St Mary’s and particularly those who
organised extra-curricular activities (Pudding and Plonk, Sausage and Sangria,
the Christmas Fair, etc) showing that people were prepared to be silly in their
efforts to accept that membership is based on Christian fellowship and
friendship.
In its report the PCC
noted that the recent revision of the Electoral Roll had resulted in the number
on the roll falling from 159 to 107 - of whom 54 live outside the parish. This
fall is quite normal following the six-yearly revision and numbers are expected
to rise again within a few years. The number attending on a Sunday has remained
constant at 85.
The Treasurer said
that the balance of £13,280 carried forward to next year (against £7,419 last
time) reflected the relatively healthy state of St Mary’s. A great deal of work
had been carried out in tidying up the accounts, which should be much clearer
next year.
The Rector gave due
thanks for the work Gerald England had done for eight years as Churchwarden. He
was replaced by Pat Kingsbury. Pierre De la Hunty, Eileen England and Jane
Seymour joined the PCC.
At the meeting of the
Deanery Synod in Carshalton on April 15, Andrew Britton, chairman of the
Diocesan Board of Finance, reported on the background to the report to the
Diocesan Synod from the Bishop’s Council and the Diocesan Board of Finance.
This report was entitled Facing the Future, and it arose from the
Medium-Term Financial Outlook report published in July 2001.
He began by saying
that the DBF had an annual budget of £14.5m, and that most of its income came
from the parishes. Its budget is set each year by the Budget Review Committee
and is presented to the Bishop’s Council and the Diocesan Synod. Eighty per
cent of its expenditure goes on clergy stipends, pensions and housing. Parish assessments
are based on the number of people in the congregation and their declared
income. The assessment represents about half of the unrestricted income of the
parish.
At its meeting on
November 3 last year the Diocesan Synod debated the report of the working party
on the Medium-Term Financial Outlook. That report showed a gap of about £1.5m a
year between the projections of income and expenditure in the years ahead. The
main reasons for that gap are the loss of financial support from the Church
Commissioners and the increased cost of clergy pensions.
At its meeting on
November 24 the Bishops Council decided to make the following recommendations:
* That
the gap of £1.5m a year should be closed by expenditure cuts of about £1m and extra
income from the parishes of about £0.5m.
* That
the expenditure cuts should be as set out in the table below.
* That
the DBF should be asked to prepare budgets for the next five years on the basis
of increases in parish assessments of about 6 per cent a year.
|
Recommended cuts in
expenditure |
£’000 |
|
Parochial ministry |
290 |
|
Housing |
500 |
|
Other parish support |
50 |
|
Central
administration |
15 |
|
Board of Church in
Society |
35 |
|
Area mission teams |
185 |
|
Total |
1,075 |
There was a
consultation in which all Parochial Church Councils were involved and it was
agreed that the £1.5m cuts were to go ahead, £0.5m of which were to be raised
by the parishes, which represents 6 per cent rise each year over the next six
years in our Fairer Shares contributions.
Mr Britton finished by
saying that despite all the discussions of church finance in recent years there
is still a very important job to be done in explaining to all church members
the need for increased funds to support ministry. Many loyal members of the
Church of England still did not realise that the ministry was now mainly
dependent on contributions from people like them. In particular they need to
understand that the money which goes ‘to the diocese’ is in fact the money
which pays for clergy stipends and hence keeps the Church of England, as we
know it, in being.
This was the last
meeting of the current synod; the newly elected synod will meet on Wednesday
July 17.
Jenifer Davison
This year’s parish
quiet day will take place on Saturday May 25 at St Mary’s Abbey, West Malling,
Kent. Some of you may already know the abbey and its grounds, and others may
have seen photographs of this beautiful and peaceful oasis created by a
community of Benedictine nuns. It is an ideal place for a quiet day, especially
if the sun is shining - one can just sit there in the orchard, the grove at the back of the church, or by the stream and
soak up the atmosphere. If it rains, the Pax House, where we will be meeting,
is comfortably furnished, with tea and coffee making facilities, and one can
sit in the Guest Chapel of the church or in the Pilgrim Chapel next to the
gatehouse.
The day will be led by
Betty and myself (unfortunately Selwyn is already booked elsewhere). The theme
will be “The Trinity” - we could all do with some greater understanding of our
Three in One God. But fear not, neither Betty nor I intend to overwhelm you
with deep doctrine, just some thoughts which we hope you will find helpful.
The chaplain to the
community will preside at a Eucharist in the Pilgrim Chapel, and we will be
able to join the Sisters for their midday office in church. After lunch (bring
you own provisions) it is hoped that one of the Sisters will be able to take us
for an historical walk around the grounds.
The day will begin
with Morning Prayer at St Mary’s at 8.30am and we expect to be back in
Beddington by 5.00pm at the latest.
Please let Selwyn,
Betty or myself know if you would like to join us on the 25th, and whether you
would be able to provide transport for those without cars. We would be grateful
to have numbers as soon as possible so that we can firm up arrangements with
the Guest Sister at St Mary’s Abbey.
Jenifer Davison
The Winged
Fellowship, which will be given a percentage of the proceeds from the
Albinoni String Orchestra concert, is, in its own words, a unique charity.
It provides around
7,000 holidays for guests with a wide range of disabilities and an equally wide
age range - from 18 with no upper limit. There are five centres within the UK
and some opportunities for world-wide breaks.
The guest programmes
include numerous excursions, theatre and cinema visits and shopping trips as
well as special interest weeks for fans of cricket, fishing and racing.
As well as giving
their guests what is often their only break during the year, Winged Fellowship
Trust holidays provide essential respite for family carers. Over a million
people in the UK are now full-time carers of one of their own family. For them
a short break often makes just the difference between being able to carry on or
having to find alternative accommodation for their loved ones.
Baptisms |
|
|
Feb 10 |
Daniel Frederick
Robin Willis, 17 Oakley Avenue |
|
|
Oliver Roy George Thompson,
7 The Causeway, Carshalton. (By permission of the Rector of All Saints) |
|
April 14 |
Kacci Ann Holgate,
16 Robin Court, Carew Road, Wallington. (By permission of the vicar of St
Michael and All Angels) |
|
|
Alfie Brian Cross, 3
Iberian Avenue |
|
|
Rachel Anne
Stubbings, 23 Ferrers Avenue |
On Sunday May 5 (Rogation Sunday) Selwyn
will be undergoing his perambulation of the parish boundaries (or as near as poss),
starting from the Croydon Road entrance to the park (opposite Bute Road) at
11.30 am. The length is between six and a quarter and six and a half miles,
keeping as close to the real boundaries as industrial fences and railway lines
will permit, but you can reduce this to somewhere between four and a half and
five miles using the tram and the train at the relevant points.
If anyone else would like to take part in
this exercise, take a look at the map of the parish, with the boundaries
carefully marked in red, beside the lectern in church. On the day maps and
written instructions will be available, so that (a) people can go at their own
pace and (b) no-one gets lost.
A picnic lunch might be recommended, though
the Harvest Home on Beddington Lane, the Jolly Gardeners on Mitcham Road, and
the Grange on London Road are all either on or very close to the route. Loo
stops will be arranged with people who live conveniently nearby.
There is of course no obligation for anyone
keen to walk to do it at the same time, though it might be more fun and more
public if this was an obvious “St Mary’s outing”. You can form your own group
and do it later that day, or even on a different day altogether. But between
whatever time he gets back home and 6.00 pm, there will be open house at The
Rectory for the weary in search of tea and a willing audience for tales of
adventure and catastrophe.
If you’re interested, please let Selwyn
know a week beforehand at the latest so that he can prepare the maps, arrange
the comfort stops, and if necessary warn the police.
At the time of going to press we understand
a fair number of the ringers will be tramping along - it must be the thought of
the three pubs to visit or perhaps a “progressive lunch”, one course in each.
Believe it or not,
it’s actually quite difficult to get into prison - even if you’re a handbell
ringer.
St Mary’s group had to
work very hard to be admitted to Down View Prison to entertain the ladies. Weeks
before the chosen date, security forms had to be filled in to be vetted by
Scotland Yard! (With bated breath we waited to see who had a secret past.)
The police evinced no
interest but the prison authorities were a little more circumspect. We didn’t
actually get permission to go until the day of the visit. When we arrived, we
were escorted to the main reception. We knew the drill - no mobiles, no bags
and definitely no large boxes, even those bearing innocent handbells.
“We’ll have to photograph
that lot,” declared the officer, as we heaved all our luggage through the door.
However, in the absence of a cameraman, the officer got down on his hands and
knees and unwrapped all our bells for us. Saved us considerable time. He
searched the pages of our music folders, shook out our cloths and peered
amongst the cushions and stands. Despite Stewart’s insistence that the pliers
were a necessary “tool of the trade”
(in case of a loose clapper) they were confiscated.
There was more
consternation when the “no bags” rule was found to have resulted in only three
people having any identification! Luckily, Sue Bailey (one of our tower bell
ringers and prison librarian) arrived and bravely assumed responsibility for
the motley crew. We were then escorted through the prison grounds (pausing to
admire the rare owls) and into the Chapel.
The ladies were still
at dinner, so we set up, were given coffee and waited. Because of the 7.30
“closing time” we were due to start at 6.30 but by 6.45 only two or three had
ventured in. Rosie, the chaplain, went outside and persuaded a few more to come
in and so we started.
We explained to our
audience how and why handbells came about and then gave them a little concert
of the different kinds of music we can play on them. As the programme
progressed, more people arrived and the Chapel became practically full. They
were most attentive and clapped enthusiastically after every piece. (A big
cheer went up when we told them they had an extension until 7.45!)
For our finale we
chose to play our own arrangement of “Ain’t Misbehaving”, which drew both
laughter and a few witticisms from the assembled company.
We then invited the
audience to have-a-go. For ladies who had often taken considerable risks in
their lives (resulting in their present situation) they were surprisingly
reticent. However, three or four eventually came forward and, with a little
help from us, gave a
just-about-recognisable rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The
audience erupted with enthusiasm. More came forward and we had to do it again.
One young lady really got the hang of it and when they all said, “Come again,”
she asked if it could be very soon because she was being released in two weeks.
(One of our ringers was heard to remark, “Wonder what she’ll be doing on Sunday
evenings?” - our practice night.)
As far as the audience
was concerned, it was a worthwhile venture. They obviously enjoyed the
diversion. One girl said to us she hadn’t had so much fun for a long time. What
can one say?
If we are ever asked
again, maybe there’s an easier way to get inside!
Jean Kimber
PS. Stewart got his
pliers back.
|
Wed |
1 |
St Mary’s Guild trip
to Canterbury |
|
|
Thu |
2 |
MU&OG: A history
of Croydon Airport - a talk by Mr F Anderson. Church Centre |
8.00pm |
|
Fri |
3 |
Visit from Highview
Primary School |
10.00am |
|
Sun |
5 |
EASTER 6 |
|
|
|
|
Rogationtide walk
round parish boundary |
|
|
Mon |
6 |
May Day Bank Holiday |
|
|
|
|
Albinoni String
Orchestra Concert in Church |
7.30pm |
|
Tue |
7 |
Parents and Toddlers
meet in church |
10.0am |
|
Wed |
8 |
Magazine Panel
meets, 2 Peaks Hill |
3.00pm |
|
Thu |
9 |
ASCENSION DAY |
|
|
|
|
Choral Eucharist |
7.30pm |
|
Fri |
10 |
Leaders of
intercessions meet in church |
7.30pm |
|
Sun |
12 |
EASTER 7 |
|
|
|
|
PCC commissioned at
Eucharist |
9.30am |
|
|
|
Service for
Christian Aid Week, St Michael’s |
6.30pm |
|
Wed |
15 |
MU corporate
Eucharist |
10.00am |
|
|
|
Churches Together
AGM - St Elphege’s |
7.30pm |
|
Thu |
16 |
MU&OG: MU
Marketing - a talk by Kate Buckley. Church Centre |
8.00pm |
|
Sun |
19 |
PENTECOST |
|
|
Mon |
20 |
PCC meets - Vestry |
8.00pm |
|
Sat |
25 |
Quiet Day at West
Malling |
|
|
Sun |
26 |
TRINITY SUNDAY |
|
Sun June 2
Corpus Christi
Genesis 14: 18-20
(page 261)
1 Corinthians 11:
23-26 (page 262)
John 6: 51-58 (page
263)
Sunday June 9
Trinity 2
Readings to be
presented by the Guides
Sun June 16
Trinity 3
Genesis 18: 1-15; 21:
1-7 (page 277)
Romans 5: 1-8 (page
281)
Matthew 9: 35; 10: 8
(page 282)
Sun June 23
Trinity 4
Genesis 21: 8-21 (page
284)
Romans 6: 1b-11 (page
289)
Matthew 10: 24-39 (page
289)
Sun June 30
SS Peter & Paul
Acts 12: 1-11 (page
1103)
2 Timothy 4: 6-8,
17-18 (page 1105)
Matthew 16: 13-19
(page 1106)
Sun May 5
Canticles: Noble in B
minor
Anthem: Thou will keep
him in perfect peace – Wesley
Sun May 12
No Evensong at St
Mary’s
Sun May 19
Canticles: Stanford in
G
Anthem: Come Holy
Ghost –Attwood
Sun May 26
Canticles: Wood in G
Anthem: Let my
complaint – Morley
Wed 1 Philip
and James, Apostles
Wed 8 Julian
of Norwich, spiritual writer, c1417
Tue 14 Matthias,
Apostle
Mon 20 Alcuin
of York, deacon, Abbot of Tours, 804
Sat 25 The
Venerable Bede, monk at Jarrow, scholar and historian, 735
Fri 31 Visitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth
Wed 1 Thanksgiving
for the life and witness of the apostles
Thu 2 The
planning of this summer’s Christian Music Festival
Fri 3 The
work of all our local schools
Sat 4 Local
clubs and societies
Sun 5 Athletes
and sportsmen and women
Mon 6 The
work of the Winged Fellowship
Tue 7 God’s
blessing for farmers and growers
Wed 8 Thanksgiving
for the witness of Christian mystics
Thu 9 Thanksgiving
for Christ’s rule over all things
Fri 10 Those
who regularly lead our intercessions
Sat 11 Members
of our new PCC
Sun 12 The
work and witness of Christian Aid
Mon 13 All
planning their wedding here this summer
Tue 14 All
involved in the recruitment and training of clergy
Wed 15 Churches
Together
Thu 16 Our
work with children and young people
Fri 17 Our
care for the elderly and infirm
Sat 18 The
Mothers’ Union
Sun 19 Thanksgiving
for the gifts of the Holy Spirit
Mon 20 Our
PCC as it meets for the first time
Tue 21 Members
of religious communities
Wed 22 Churchwardens
being sworn-in tonight
Thu 23 Local
Day Centres
Fri 24 The
work of missionaries and evangelists
Sat 25 Our
Quiet Day at West Malling
Sun 26 Thanksgiving
for the revelation of God as Father, Son and Spirit
Mon 27 Those
preparing to be confirmed in the autumn
Tue 28 Local
writers and historians
Wed 29 Selwyn’s
work in post-ordination training
Thu 30 Those
soon to be baptised
Fri 31 Thanksgiving
for the lives of all the saints
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