St Mary’s Parish Magazine – May 2003
Readings for
Sundays and Festivals in May
Oblate's rule of
life as set out by the Community at Malling Abbey
Ascension Day -
Forty Days with the Risen Christ
A reminder that the new PCC will be
commissioned during the 9.30 am Eucharist on the morning of Sunday,
4 May.
There are two venues and dates for the Swearing-In
of our new Churchwardens which PCC members are also invited to attend:
these are either Wednesday, 7 May at St John's, Shirley, at 8.00
pm, or Wednesday, 21 May at The Good Shepherd, Carshalton Beeches, at 8.00 pm.
The church and tower will be open on both
the Bank Holiday Mondays in May - the 5th and the 26th.
At 6.30 pm on Sunday, 11 May, there will be
a joint service held at St Paul's, Roundshaw to mark the beginning of Christian
Aid Week. There will be no Evensong
at St Mary's on that day.
Buy your tickets now for an Evening of
Nostalgia on Saturday, 24 May - full details here.
Ascension Day on Thursday, 29 May will be celebrated with a Choral Eucharist at
7.30 pm.
Advance warning that there is a meeting for
all those who regularly lead our Sunday intercessions in church on
Tuesday, 3 June at 8.00 pm. Please be
there, not only to think about what we are actually doing when we lead people's
prayers, but to practice using the microphone!
There is a diocesan Vocations Day at
the cathedral on Saturday, 14 June, running from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, led by
the bishops of Southwark and Kingston and by Janice Price, director of training
in the diocese of Worcester. This is
for all those who want to look at their own gifts and the ways in which they
might be used in a wide variety of service within the life of the church. There is a fee of £3 for the day. Diana Harries has further information and
booking forms, which must be returned to the address given on them by 31 May.
Our thanks to Fiona Mackley for all her work as our Children's Society
representative. Fiona is now standing down and Emma Thompson has kindly agreed
to take on the role.
Fri 2 Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher
of the Faith, 373
Wed 14 Matthias
the Apostle
Mon 19 Dunstan,
Archbishop of Canterbury, restorer of monastic life, 988
Tue 20 Alcuin
of York, deacon, Abbot of Tours, 804
Mon 26 Augustine,
first Bishop of Canterbury, 605
Sat 31 Visit
of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth
|
Thu |
1 |
MU&OG. Handbell Ringing - a talk by Sandra
Winter. Church Centre. |
8.00 pm |
|
Fri |
2 |
Social Committee meets
at 2 Caraway Place |
8.00 pm |
|
Sun |
4 |
EASTER 3 |
|
|
|
|
Commissioning of new
PCC at Eucharist |
9.30 am |
|
Mon |
5 |
Bank Holiday. Church and Tower open |
11 am - 5 pm |
|
Tue |
6 |
Parents and Toddlers
group meet in Church |
10.00 am |
|
|
|
Magazine Panel meets
at 35 Vanguard Way |
6.30 pm |
|
|
|
Bible Study Group
meets at 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00 pm |
|
Wed |
7 |
St Mary's Guild
meets at St Mary's Court - Mr Weatherley will give a talk on 'Stained
Glass' |
2.30 pm |
|
|
|
Swearing-in of
Churchwardens at St John's Church, Shirley |
8.00 pm |
|
Thu |
8 |
Consecration of the
new Bishop of Croydon at St Paul's Cathedral |
11.00 am |
|
|
|
Deanery Synod meets
at St Dunstan's, Cheam |
8.00 pm |
|
Sat |
10 |
Coffee Morning in aid
of Tower & Bells Fund will be hosted by Pam Aylemore at 135 Desmesne Road |
from 10.00 am |
|
SUN |
11 |
EASTER 4 |
|
|
|
|
Carew Manor Open
Day |
|
|
|
|
United Service for
Christian Aid Week at St Paul's, Roundshaw.
(No Evensong at St Mary's) |
6.30 pm |
|
Tue |
13 |
Bible Study Group
meets at 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00 pm |
|
Wed |
14 |
Eucharist to be held
at St Mary's Court |
10.00 am |
|
Thu |
15 |
MU&OG. Church Centre. Speaker to be advised |
8.00 pm |
|
SUN |
18 |
EASTER 5 |
|
|
|
|
Finance Committee
meets at The Rectory |
8.00 pm |
|
Mon |
19 |
Eucharist |
7.30 pm |
|
|
|
PCC meets. Church Centre |
8.00 pm |
|
Tue |
20 |
Bible Study Group
meets at 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00 pm |
|
Wed |
21 |
MU Corporate Eucharist |
10.00 am |
|
|
|
Churches Together
AGM at St Paul's, Roundshaw |
7.45 pm |
|
|
|
Swearing-in of
Churchwardens at The Good Shepherd, Carshalton Beeches. |
8.00 pm |
|
Sat |
24 |
An evening of
'Nostalgia' in aid of the Tower & Bells Fund. |
7.30 pm |
|
SUN |
25 |
EASTER 6 |
|
|
Mon |
26 |
Bank Holiday. Church and Tower open |
11 am - 5 pm |
|
Tue |
27 |
Bible Study Group
meets at 23 Mortlake Close |
8.00 pm |
|
Thu |
29 |
ASCENSION DAY |
|
|
|
|
Choral Eucharist |
7.30 pm |
|
Sat |
31 |
Visit of the Blessed
Virgin Mary to Elizabeth Eucharist |
9.00 am |
Funerals
Mar 26 Doris
Louise Young, aged 91,
of
Avonlea, Rectory Lane.
Mar 28 Desiré
Bruno Solari, aged 83.
of 25 Northway.
“'If music be the
food of love, play on, give me excess of it.'”
Although Orsino was pining
for Olivia, this sentiment captures the effect of the Choir Concert given in
place of Evensong on Sunday, 6 April.
The St Mary's choir
was augmented by a choir from Worthing, led by their organist, Mr Neil
Turner. The theme of the music was, of
course, the solemnity of Lent, and the opening chorus - 'Ave, Verum Corpus' by
the Elizabethan composer William Byrd - was perfect in sentiment and
execution. This was followed by 'Ah,
holy Jesu' by Johann Crüger. Then we
heard the wonderful Choral Prelude by J S Bach, followed by the thoroughly
English pieces, 'Wash me thoroughly' by S S Wesley, and the ever-loved 'God so
loved the world' by Stainer. Another J
S Bach, 'Christus, der uns selig macht', and the beautiful 'Christus factus
est' by Anton Bruckner.
All of these pieces
were excellently rendered, and the quality of the singing would not have
disgraced a cathedral choir.
And then the Rutter
Requiem. How lucky we are to live in an
age when first-class church music is still being composed; this piece as
recently as 1985. Like all great music,
its depth and intensity mean that it has to be heard several times before the
full beauty reveals itself. I am in
this fortunate position, so every moment was a delight. The whole choir rose to the challenge, and
reached its height with James Pedrick's singing of 'Pie Jesu', and the 'Lux
Aeterna' by Harrison Benson. We are
very lucky to have trebles with such fine voices, prepared to use their talent
to the enchantment of us all.
I must, of course, pay
tribute to Andrew Wilson, our choirmaster, without whose energy and expertise
none of this would have come about. I
am pleased to note that, as the choir processed back down the aisle, the whole
audience broke into spontaneous applause.
A well-deserved tribute to the hard work, dedication and sheer quality
of all those who took part.
On behalf of all those
who were there, THANK YOU.
Harold Hore
Is there a modern Dick
Turpin in the making? Michael Chilcott is planning to ride from London to York
to raise money for our Tower and Bells Project. How he plans to relieve people
of their money on the way, remains to be seen!
Mike and his bike will
leave Southwark Cathedral on Saturday, 3 May. He will head north to St Paul’s
Cathedral and St Alban’s Abbey. During the week he will visit Peterborough
Cathedral, Southwell Minster and Lincoln Cathedral. His journey will take him
across the Humber Bridge and on to his final destination of York Minster.
To help Mike collect
his money by legal means, you are invited to sponsor him for this marathon
250-mile trip. He is aiming to get himself sponsored for £1,000 before he sets
off north. If you wish to encourage him along his way, please contact Kath
Chilcott in church, or by ringing 020 8686 2272, or at 21 Goldaming Avenue.
Jean Kimber
St Mary’s ringers are
holding a parish concert for funds on 9 August .
If you have a talent for
entertaining that we may not know about, please sidle up to a ringer offer
yourself.
Note - there may be
an audition!!
If the arrival of May
makes you feel a bit giddy and irrepressible, you are not alone. May was the
month when the ancient pagans used to get up to all sorts! The Romans held
their festival to honour the mother-goddess Maia, goddess of nature and growth.
(May is named after her.) The early Celts celebrated the feast of Beltane, in
honour of the sun god, Beli.
For centuries in 'Olde
England' the people went mad in May. After the hardship of winter, and hunger
of early Spring, May was a time of indulgence and unbridled merriment. One
Philip Stubbes, writing in 1583, was scandalised: "for what kissing and
bussing, what smooching and slabbering one of another, is not practised?"
Henry VIII went
'maying' on many occasions. Then folk would stay out all night in the dark
rain-warm thickets, and return in the morning for dancing on the green around
the Maypole, archery, vaulting, wrestling, and that evening, bonfires.
The Protestant
reformers took a strong stand against May Day - and in 1644 Christmas and May
Day were abolished together. Many Maypoles came down - only to go up again at
the Restoration, when the first May Day of King Charles's reign was "the
happiest Mayday that hath been many a year in England", according to
Pepys. A truly enormous Maypole went up that year in London - 134 feet high,
right where the church of St Mary lies near Westminster. It was the highest
Maypole in history, but it disappeared in the interests of science: in 1717 Sir
Isaac Newton took it away to support the most modern and powerful telescope in
the world.
May Day to most people
today brings vague folk memories of a young Queen of the May decorated with
garlands and streamers and flowers, a Maypole to weave, Morris dancing, and the
intricacies of well dressing at Tissington in Derbyshire.
May Day is a medley of
natural themes such as sunrise, the advent of summer, growth in nature, and -
since 1833 - Robert Owen's vision of a millennium in the future, beginning on
May Day, when there would be no more poverty, injustice or cruelty, but harmony
and friendship. This is why, in modern times, May Day has become Labour Day,
which honours the dignity of workers. And until recently, in communist
countries May Day processions were in honour of the achievement of Marxism.
There has never been a
Christian content to May Day, but nevertheless there is the well known 6 am
service on the top of Magdalen Tower at Oxford where a choir sings in the dawn
of May Day.
An old May carol
includes the lines:
The life of man is but a span,
- it flourishes like a
flower
We are here today, and
gone tomorrow
- we are dead within an
hour.
There is something of
a sadness about it, both in words and tune, as about all purely sensuous joy.
For May Day is not Easter, and the joys it has known have always been
earth-bound and fleeting.
Christian Aid Week
2003 celebrates people who are changing the world. Some are from the developing world, others
are supporters in the UK and Ireland.
But all have a common goal - to challenge the causes and effects of
poverty and to help change the world for good.
One person who
features in the publicity is Roy Ellis, whose wife was the Minister of Wallington
Methodist Church and who moved to Street in Somerset three years ago. Roy was a very active campaigner for
Christian Aid, organising street collections and support for the Trade Justice
Campaign. Some of you will remember him, I am sure.
So I am again asking
for house to house collectors for Christian Aid Week. I know people do not relish the task, but without our efforts
Christian Aid would not be able to support projects in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan,
Cambodia, Jamaica and Palestinian territories.
Please make a note of
two dates in Christian Aid Week. First
the Christian Aid Week Service for all churches in Beddington and Wallington at
St Paul's Church, Roundshaw at 6.30 pm on Sunday, 11 May. Also 'The Event' on Saturday, 17 May at
Wallington Methodist Church hall from 10 am to 2 pm. There will be tea and coffee and various stalls, so if you are
shopping in Wallington on the 17th, please call in and see what is on offer.
Thanking you in
anticipation of your support.
Eileen England
Thu 1 Thanksgiving for the life and witness of
the Apostles
Fri 2 All teachers of the Christian Faith
Sat 3 Theological schools, seminaries and
colleges
Sun 4 Commissioning of our new PCC
Mon 5 Christian education in parish churches
Tue 6 Our Bible Study Group
Wed 7 Give thanks for Sunday School teachers
Thu 8 Nicholas Bains, being consecrated as
Bishop today at St Paul's Cathedral
Fri 9 All seeking Holy Orders
Sat 10 All
who seek a deeper knowledge of Christ and the Christian Faith
Sun 11 Give
thanks for the Anglican Church of Korea
Mon 12 Anglican
schools, teachers and pupils
Tue 13 All
involved in the recruitment and training of clergy
Wed 14 All
called to positions of authority in the Church
Thu 15 All
in Religious Orders
Fri 16 The
work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission
Sat 17 All
bishops, priests and deacons
Sun 18 Give
thanks for the Church of the Province of Uganda
Mon 19 Our
PCC as it meets for the first time tonight
Tue 20 MU
Festival Services tonight and tomorrow
Wed 21 Churchwardens
being sworn-in tonight
Thu 22 Our
work with children and young people
Fri 23 Our
care for the elderly and infirm
Sat 24 The
Methodist Church
Sun 25 The
Anglican Communion
Mon 26 Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Tue 27 The
Anglican Communion Secretary General and staff
Wed 28 The
Anglican Consultative Council
Thu 29 The
Anglican Observer to the United Nations and staff
Fri 30 All
concerned with social justice and reform
Sat 31 The
courage to carry Christ within us and present Him wherever we go
Sun 18 May Easter 5
Acts 8: 26-40 (page 557)
1 John 4: 7-21 (page 559)
John 15: 1-8 (page 560)
Sun 25 May Easter 6
Acts 10: 44-48 (page 561)
1 John 5: 1-6 (page 562)
John 15: 9-17 (page 563)
Sun 4 May Easter
3
Acts 3: 12-19 (page 551)
1 John 3: 1-7 (page 552)
Luke 24: 36b-48 (page 553)
Sun 11 May Easter 4
Acts 4: 5-12 (page 554)
1 John 3: 16-24 (page 555)
John 10: 11-18 (page 556)
Thu 29 May Ascension Day
Acts 1: 1-11 (page 240)
Ephesians 1: 15-23
(page 243)
Luke 24: 44-53 (page 244)
Sunday 4 May
Canticles: Brewer in D
Anthem: Blessed Be The God and Father - Wesley
Sunday 11 May
No Evensong at St
Mary's
Sunday 18 May
Canticles: Arnold in A
Anthem: O Taste and See -
Sir John Goss
Sunday 25 May
Canticles: Stanford in C
Anthem: O Thou The Central Orb – Wood
Following the success
of a Basic First Aid session last October, it is hoped there will be sufficient
interest to arrange another in the near future. The two-hour session would take
place in the Centre and is ideal for beginners but also invaluable as a
refresher course.
Please let me or Pat
Kingsbury know if you would like to take up this opportunity, there is a small
charge to cover expenses but it is well worthwhile and could lead to the saving
of a life.
June Allen
The Friends of Beddington Park and The
Grange held their first AGM on 19 March.
Dee Hyatt was elected Chairman and the committee now includes a Plant
Person (Pam Aylmore) and a Dog Warden (Heather Beardmore), as well as all the
usual officers.
The Friends of the Parks are pleased that
they are getting noticed. The minutes
of the AGM record a commendable list of achievements and plans for continuing
involvement in park matters. These include
lobbying the council to get the boating lake bridge repairs done - this should
be completed by last summer - and volunteering to help plant bulbs for next
spring. They will also keep us informed
about progress of the children's play area and the proposed Beddington Park
Cycle Scheme.
Membership of the
Friends costs £10 for families, or £6 for individuals. Subscriptions are payable by cheque to
'Friends of Beddington and Grange Parks', and should be sent c/o The Treasurer,
Roy Scott, 38 Rectory Lane, Wallington SM6 8DX.
Pat Kingsbury
During his report to
the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, the Rector revealed that St Mary's could
be one of the parishes to receive an early visit from the new Bishop of Croydon
as he plans to "shadow" incumbents during a typical Sunday.
Earlier, at the Easter
Vestry, Ian Akhurst was elected Church-warden in place of Margaret Freeman, who
was warmly thanked for her services. There were few changes to the make-up of
the Parochial Church Council. Mary Tapp dropped off (after goodness knows how
many years) as did David Kingsley. They were replaced by Carolyn Churchyard and
Keith Lewis.
Cassie Tillett, the
Treasurer, gave her usual full report and was delighted to say that St Mary's
had continued to pay all its bills and debts had fallen from £103,000 in 1997
to just £12,500. However the discovery that the church needed completely
rewiring blew a hole in her plans. She was also concerned that the shopping
list was falling behind schedule.
Reports were also
presented by the ringers, who highlighted the need for new recruits and said
that the proposed rehanging of the bells was likely to take place in the autumn
of 2004; the Church Centre Management Committee, who pointed out the
improvements which had been made over the past year; and the new Families
Group, headed by Carolyn Churchyard, which has got off to a good start.
Stewart Kimber
Saint Benedict wrote
his Rule amid the chaos and decadence of the sixth century. Its centre is Christ, our way, our truth and
our life. The insights and practices of
the Rule are rooted and grounded in the Gospel. They have value in today's world, for those who live outside the
monastery as well as for nuns and monks.
They are signposts to guide us on our common journey to God.
The principles on
which an oblate's rule of life are founded are as follows:
* To attend the Eucharist at least once a week.
* To say at least two Offices a day, preferably
Lauds and Vespers.
* To have at least one annual two-day retreat.
* To have personal prayer on a regular basis.
* To set time aside for regular spiritual
reading, with preference for the Scriptures.
* To read the Rule of Saint Benedict through at
least once a year.
* To commit oneself to seek and serve God within
the relationships he has given us, in response to his self-giving faithfulness
to us.
* To commit oneself to the demands of journeying
on through change and growth to full maturity in Christ, accepting our share in
the Paschal Mystery of his death and resurrection.
* To realise in our lives the Benedictine values
of balance and harmony, reverence, peace and hospitality. To be faithful stewards of our time and
talents.
* To be responsible for our own life in Christ,
while leaving others free in the loving and creative hands of God.
* To practice obedience by listening intently for
the voice of God speaking to us through other people, the written word, daily
events and in our deepest heart. To
seek the will of God that we may fulfil His purpose in simplicity, humility and
love.
* And finally, to be faithful to the spirit of
the Rule of St Benedict and to our personal rule, within the limits, demands
and disciplines of the circumstances of our lives.
If the above seems to
be a lot to live up to, closer examination will show that it is really no more
than the commitment most Christians live out on a daily basis without thinking
too much about it. Most of us have some
kind of 'Rule of Life' even if it is not written down, and for me, having a
specific Rule to live to gives me guidelines and parameters which help me along
on my journey to God. Perhaps there may
be something in this Oblate's Rule of Life which will be of help to you in your
own particular spiritual journey. On we
go in the name of Christ. Amen.
Jennifer Davison
PS - Morning
and Evening Prayer is said in the Carew Chapel daily throughout the week,
except Thursday and Saturday evenings.
The easiest way
to tell the difference between young plants and weeds is to pull up everything.
If they come up again, they're weeds.
May continues the
season of Eastertide, the period of 40 days between Easter and Ascension Day,
which falls this year on Thursday, 29 May.
It may seem crazy to
call it Eastertide when Easter is clearly over! - but if you look in your
diary, you will find the Sundays are numbered Easter 1, Easter 2, and so forth.
These are the forty days during which the Risen Christ appeared again and again
to his disciples, following his death and resurrection.
The Gospels give us
little of Christ's teachings and deeds during those forty days. Jesus was seen
by numerous disciples: on the road to Emmaus, by the Sea of Galilee, in houses,
etc. He strengthened and encouraged his disciples, and at last opened their
eyes to all that the Scriptures had promised about the Messiah. Jesus also told
them that as the Father had sent him, he was now going to send them - to all
corners of the earth, as his witnesses.
Eastertide ends with the
Ascension of Christ.
Do you watch Songs of
Praise? It is one of the longest running, most popular BBC television
programmes. In the 1960s its average weekly viewing audience was 4.5 million.
(11% of the adult population.) By the 1990s this had increased to 4.9 million,
still a tenth of the UK adult population. Today it often commands a viewing
audience of 25 - 30% of those watching TV early on Sunday evenings.
Does it take people
away from Sunday evening services? Undoubtedly yes, but research has found that
the programme is watched by even more non-churchgoers than churchgoers.
A high proportion of
people who watch Songs of Praise are over 65 years old - in fact, 52% of
viewers are in this age-group. This represents a quarter of the nine million
people in the UK who are 65 or over.
A recent survey by
Christian Research has found that 49% of elderly churchgoers find spiritual
nourishment from the programme. The same survey found that the older a person
is, the more they were likely to watch it. If a person is confined to a
wheelchair, or lacks transport to attend church, or is in ill-health, or is in
an old people's home, then Songs of Praise is especially appreciated.
What makes it so
popular with older people? The clue is probably in the hymns which are
featured. As late as 1930, 48% of children attended Sunday School, where they
sang and sang and sang..... So Songs of Praise stirs up childhood memories in
older people, reminding them of their introduction to the Christian faith,
perhaps nourished over the years, perhaps forgotten, and now missed. But always
there for them to return to!
It's big and blue
and made for you
and tells you what
you need to do
For those of you who
haven't a clue what I am on about, it is the new (refurbished) notice board at
the diagonal church path entrance.
Our 'Fred Dibnah' of
the ringing tower - aka Stan Coleman - has come down to earth to carry out repairs
at our level.
As I do not use the
diagonal path, Stan's wife, Val, had to point it out to me and it made me
wonder who else had not noticed.
Mike Morgan
April:
St Mary's Under 12's –
5
The Cubs -1
What have Spring, Lent
and Mothering Sunday in common? Had you
come to the Church Centre on 29 March, you would have heard these three themes
cleverly woven together for an evening of music, poetry and prose, in a
word-perfect rendering by Selwyn, Cassie, Mary Tapp, Diana Harries and Harold
Hore, aptly titled 'Violets in the Lane'.
Spring was evoked by
the descriptive 'Under Milk Wood'; by 'Wind in the Willows' where Mole, tired
of spring cleaning, scrambled to the surface to scent the fresh spring air
outside; and the flowing music of Mendelsohn's 'Spring Song'.
To remind us of Lent,
and the lengthening days, the poetry of A E Houseman, Robert Herrick, and an
extract from 'Maypoles, Martyns and Mayhem' all provided a deeper insight into
the wider meaning of this period.
The first part of the
second half was devoted to mothers and the day on which their children honour
them. The remaining half was a
miscellany of readings and music encapsulating all three themes.
Complemented by an
excellent interval supper, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening illustrating
the thought and hard work that underpins such an entertaining and imaginative
production.
John Tapp
Joan and Peter
Davalle, best known for their in-period performances of "Good evening, Mr
Dickens", will be visiting St Mary's on Saturday, 24 May to present their
"words-and-music" entertainment Nostalgia.
Nostalgia is exactly what the name implies. Every item is about the past - what we did,
what we thought and what we heard. Some of the famous writers and entertainers
in the show are Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas, Charles Dickens, Noël Coward and two
much-loved voices - Vera Lynn and Gracie Fields.
There are scenes from
favourite films and plays. Some might make you shed a tear; others could tickle
your funny-bone. There are poems that were probably part of your youth and
songs that we used to sing, hum or just whistle.
In short, there is
something for everybody in Nostalgia. The curtain goes up at 7.30 pm. Tickets cost £6.00 to include
supper and all proceeds will go to St Mary's Tower and Bells Fund.
"Speaking of old
families," said the aristocrat at the garden party, out to impress a
visiting American, "one of my ancestors was present at the signing of the
Magna Carta."
"And one of
mine," replied the American nonchalantly, "was present at the signing
of the Ten Commandments."
I wake up in the
middle of the night and wonder why.
Then the alarm goes off and I realise it is Good Friday. I remember asking Selwyn why it was called
"Good" Friday but his answer escapes me. We both go downstairs and find four confused cats who know it's
too early to be fed but still line up by their bowls.
The streets are empty
and houses dark apart from the few who cannot sleep or, like us, have things to
do. When we arrive at church it's in
darkness and very still. Our entrance
makes too much noise for the occasion and we tiptoe to the Carew Chapel. Bill and Margaret are still in contemplation
and stay with us for a few minutes then, with whispered goodbyes, they
leave.
We seldom have time to
sit and just let our thoughts wander through the events of Easter. So much happened in those few days that the
hour of contemplation is not enough and is soon over. The next couple arrive and we leave for home, in peace.
Mike Morgan
Mummy and I met up
with my girlfriend Kerenza and her mummy at their church, St Pat's, on the 12th
of April for Duggie Dug’s Praise Party.
Mummy said that Doug Horley was a very well known and popular Christian
entertainer and writes praise songs for children.
There were loads of
people there, little ones like me and big ones like mummy. I didn't know what
to expect but it was brilliant - songs with actions that we could all join in
with, a massive screen with all my favourite characters on like Bob the builder
and Fireman Sam which flashed pictures and words as the songs went along. We did lots of dancing and I didn't know
mummy could jump up and down so high!
There were amaaaaazing puppets and one song - God's Creation It is
Great! - had great big animals popping up and down when they came up in the
song. Uncle Andy helped lift the puppets up and down!
Duggie Dug had a pop
band who were really groovy and he did illusions that helped us to understand
trust and love just like Jesus taught.
Then we all joined in
some prayers especially written for us and we ended with a great big sing and
dance - and we got a biscuit and a drink of squash to cool us down.
I loved Duggie Dug, he
was great. We had lots of fun and made new friends,and we got to say thank you
to Jesus for loving us so much.
Matthew Churchyard
- aged two and three quarters!
I have long felt that the Christian calendar was somewhat lacking in not
placing enough importance on the Passover meal and its significance. I have
spent many years with an interest in Judaism and was privileged enough to take
part in Succoth whilst in Israel some years ago.
This was the first time I had been able to join the group at St Mary's
and felt somewhat nervous as to what would take place. I had a fairly good
knowledge of the ritual - but how would it be interpreted in Wallington?
I was greeted by familiar friendly faces, and a couple not so familiar –
we were joined by St Mary's former minister, David Richardson, and his wife who
were visiting from the USA.
The hall had been transformed - tables laid in the traditional horseshoe
shape, candles everywhere and a feast table laden with exotic fruits, nuts and
unleavened bread.
Selwyn welcomed us and reminded us that it was, in fact, a party and
that people were to enjoy themselves and not worry about 'getting it right' all
evening.
We followed the traditional Jewish pattern of the youngest child asking
why this night of nights was so special - well played by our very own Katie
Seymour. Selwyn and Cassie responded thereafter as the heads of the family. We
had various readings and songs (tunefully thanks to Kevin!) interspersed with
the ritual taking of bitter herbs (for the bitterness suffered by the Jewish
people under Egyptian rule) with salt water (for the tears they had cried), and
unleavened bread (the bread didn't have time to rise due to the hasty exodus).
We then went on to feast on lamb (very nice indeed Heather!) and many delicious
accompaniments washed down with wine - this was all themed to fit in with the
type of food and drink that was taken at Passover.
When the feasting was over probably the most moving part of the evening
took place - we all took part in Communion, each taking bread and wine
administered by the person next to us. It felt so how I had imagined the first
Communion to be, bonding the group together as it moved around the room, with
Selwyn's familiar voice offering the prayers.
It was a truly special evening and my only regret is that it has taken
so long for me to be able to attend one.
Gerrie had said it was his third Passover meal and each one had been
very moving and very enjoyable.
I feel very proud that St Mary's has added Passover to its Holy Week
programme, alongside the powerful Good Friday service and the celebratory early
Easter Sunday service they provided me with a very moving, significant
'physical' experience which has left me uplifted and strengthened in faith.
Carolyn Churchyard