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Do you have your tickets for the Albinoni String Orchestra concert to be held in church on Bank Holiday Monday, 3 May? Among those performing will be Jenny Burt, a promising young cellist at present studying at the Royal College of Music; and Jonathan Vaughn, an organ scholar at Cambridge. (Click here for details).

The Eucharist will be celebrated additionally in May as follows:

- on Saturday 1^st (SS Philip & James) at 9:00 am;

- on Friday 14^th (St Matthias) at 7:30 pm; and

- on Thursday 20^th (The Ascension) there will be a Choral Eucharist at 7:30 pm (followed by the first meeting of the new PCC in the Centre.)

If there have been any postal votes for the election of the new PCC, they will be counted on the morning of Friday 7^th, and the candidates will be informed of the result during the day. The new PCC will then be announced, as well as commissioned, during the 9:30 Sung Eucharist on Sunday 9^th. The new Churchwardens and PCC will be sworn-in by the Archdeacon at St Mary Magdalene, Addiscombe, at 8:00 pm on Tuesday 18^th – just in time for the first meeting of our new PCC (as above).

Last month we said an enormous thank-you to Terry Head, who has hung up his alb after 40 years loyal ministry as our head server, and 30 of those years as our Sacristan (more about Terry here). Marion Martin has bravely allowed herself to be volunteered to take over from him as from the last Sunday in April, and we wish her well as she takes up her new duties.

For Chris Kimber, Easter Sunday marked a special anniversary. Twenty five years ago, on that day, he sang his first service as a St Mary’s chorister. He was just seven years old. Over the 25 years, Chris has sung all four parts, helped run the choir during one choirmaster interregnum, has been known to play the organ for the 9.30 service, has been Choir Treasurer and still serves on the Choir Praesidium. Many thanks, Chris.

Advance dates for your diary:

Sunday 13 June (Corpus Christi) – there will be no Evensong at St Mary’s. This is partly because that night sees the annual Churches Together Christian Music Festival taking place once again at St Elphege’s, at 7:00 pm; but also because our own choir will by then be rehearsing thoroughly for their performance of Handel’s Messiah, in church at 6:30 pm on the evening of Sunday 4 July. Though this is very long notice, please make sure you have the event in your diaries now, and invite all your friends to be there. Admission will be free, with a retiring collection in aid of the Tower & Bells Fund afterwards, and there will be refreshments in the Centre during the interval. The performance will include about two-thirds of the oratorio, though omitting some of the longer choruses in the Passion music. The soloists will be Stephen Brown (tenor), Joanna Soane (soprano) and Leon Berger (bass) – all of them young professional operatic and recital soloists, and well known to St Mary’s audiences as members of Chimes Musical Theatre. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear them in more serious vein (and many will remember Stephen Brown singing as tenor soloist in our performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion a few years ago). They will be joined for the Messiah by the mezzo Camilla Cutts, another member of Chimes who is also making a name for herself in the world of opera and oratorio. It promises to be a memorable evening!

Readings for Sundays and Festivals in May

Sun 2 May

Fourth of Easter

Acts 9: 36-43 (page 869)

Revelation 7: 9-17 (page 871)

John 10: 22-30 (page 872)

Sun 9 May

Fifth of Easter

Acts 11: 1-18 (page 872)

Revelation 21: 1-6 (page 875)

John 13: 31-35 (page 876)

Sun 16 May

Sixth of Easter

Acts 16: 9-15 (page 876)

Revelation 21: 10, 22-22: 5 (page 878)

John 14: 23-29 or John 5, 1-9 (page 879)

Thurs 20 May

Ascension Day

Acts 1: 1-11 (page 240)

Ephesians 1: 15-23 (page 243)

Luke 24: 44-53 (page 244)

Sun 23 May

Seventh of Easter

Acts 16: 16-34 (page 880)

Revelation 22: 12-14, 16-17, 20-21 (page 883)

John 17: 20-26 (page 884)

Sun 30 May

Pentecost

Acts 2: 1-21 (page 885)

Romans 8: 14-17 (page 889)

John 14: 8-17 and 25-27 (page 889)

Saints in May

Sat 1 SS Philip and James, Apostles

Sat 8 Julian of Norwich, spiritual writer, c 1417

Fri 14 Matthias the Apostle

Wed 19 Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, restorer of monastic life, 988

Tue 25 The Venerable Bede, monk at Jarrow, scholar, historian, 735

Wed 26 Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, 605

Mon 31 Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

Music at Evensong in May

Sunday 2 May

Canticles: Sumsion in G

Anthem: I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes - Walker

Sunday 9 May

Canticles: Stanford in C

Anthem: Blessed Be The God and Father - S S Wesley

Sunday 16 May

Canticles: Holman in F Minor

Anthem: Sing Choirs of Heaven – Shepherd

Sunday 23 May

Canticles: Purcell in G Minor

Anthem: O Lord The Maker of All Things - Mundy

Sunday 30 May

Canticles: Berkshire Service - Archer

Anthem: Prevent Us O Lord - Holman

Daily prayer topics in May

Sat 1 Thanksgiving for the life and witness of the Apostles

Sun 2 All teachers of the Christian Faith

Mon 3 All who will visit St Mary's Church today

Tue 4 The Bible/Discussion Group meeting this evening

Wed 5 The AGM of the Diocesan Board of Finance

Thu 6 Our link dioceses in Zimbabwe

Fri 7 All parishes with clergy vacancies

Sat 8 Bishop Nick Baines on the anniversary of his consecration

Sun 9 Commissioning of our new PCC

Mon 10 Deanery Synod meeting this evening

Tue 11 The work of Lambeth WelCare Service

Wed 12 The Merton Deanery and David Monteith, Rural Dean

Thu 13 All involved in the recruitment and training of clergy

Fri 14 The coalition forces in Iraq

Sat 15 The Iraqi people

Sun 16 The safety of all aid workers in places of unrest

Mon 17 Vocations to the priesthood

Tue 18 The Archdeacon's visitation to St Mary's

Wed 19 Peace and stability in troubled areas of the world

Thu 20 The PCC Meeting tonight

Fri 21 All who have been made refugees by war

Sat 22 Those who live rough and who sleep out in our cities

Sun 23 The Anglican Communion and Anglican Consultative Council

Mon 24 The Methodist Church

Tue 25 All who are anxious, distressed or discouraged

Wed 26 Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

Thu 27 Bishop's Council Meeting tonight

Fri 28 For respect for the sincere belief of others

Sat 29 That we may learn to live together without fear

Sun 30 Thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit

Mon 31 The courage to carry Christ within us and present Him wherever we go

A Bat Walk In Beddington Park

Friday 21 May

Led by Derek Coleman, an expert on these nocturnal creatures.

Meet at 9 pm in Church Road outside Carew Manor. The walk will finish at about 10.30 pm. Everyone is invited, but please leave Fido in his kennel! There is no charge for the walk, but a small donation to the London Bat Group would be appreciated.

Bat facts....

Bats are not blind, but they can also "see" in the dark by listening to the echoes of their high frequency calls

They have good steering - they won't get caught in your hair!

Bats rarely live in belfries. They prefer somewhere quiet, not draughty, and free from cobwebs

Bats often choose modern houses as roost sites - about half of all known pipistrelle bat roosts known in the 1980s were in houses less than 25 years old

In Britain it is illegal to disturb bats or the places where they roost

Bats can live for up to 30 years

Britain's commonest bat, the pipistrelle, is only 4 cm long and weighs about 5 grams - less than a 2p coin!

Of the 16 species left in Britain, 6 are Endangered or Rare and 6 others are Vulnerable

Pat Kingsbury

Easter Bunnies

'Families' held their Easter party on the 4th April (a little early I know, but so many people now go away for the holidays) and the hall was beautifully decorated with yellow and pink balloons and bunches of daffs adorned the crisp white (paper) table cloths!

The theme this year was 'Best Bunny' and thanks to so many people there were droves of cute, cuddly and somewhat outrageous bunnies (I have to confess at this point that despite Matthew looking fab he had been kindly loaned the outfit from Mrs Flower at All Saints and the face paint was due to Helena).

Talking of face paint, an enormous queue formed when Helena offered bunny face paint (so much so that Polly Deal, a friend from Holy Trinity jumped in to offer a second pair of hands - managing somehow to reach the children despite a rather large bump forming around her middle!) Judging the 'best bunny' was a really hard task and eventually we came up with four... but we had to award everyone a dip in the sweetie tin as the efforts were so good.

Lots of interest was shown by many visiting parents when the Easter egg hunt took us into the church (yes, it did rain again just an hour before the party!). Robert ended up doing a mini tour around and answering as many questions as he could. Every child went away with an egg (thanks to all those who donated) and then went on to stuff themselves with masses of party food.

We had craft tables - as ever manned by our now resident Katy Seymour and the SMYLE gang - making Easter cards and decorating Easter cakes (a sea of sticky custard-yellow icing and millions of dolly mixtures later and the results were... shall we say... colourful!

We are ever grateful for the support given by so many people here at St Mary's, and the fact that we are reaching further afield into other churches (we had people from Holy Trinity, All Saints, St Michaels and even a Chinese Christian church), I feel helps keep the 'one church', 'working together' firmly alive. It's lovely to share events with everyone and there is a real sense of family and unity - I hope that we can all share events in each others churches in the coming years (this is me with my Churches Together hat on!).

We are hoping for a heat wave June - as the Families Fun Day will be taking place then.

Carolyn

Parish Garden

For the flowers on Sunday, 6 June, we would like to have a 'Parish Garden', using flowers and greenery donated from parishioners' gardens for the arrangements. If you don't have a garden, you might like to buy a bunch of your favourite flowers instead.

Hopefully we will have a wide range of different flowers and if anyone would like to have a go at arranging their own flowers on the Saturday they would be very welcome - help will be on hand if required.

Please let Sue Ardley (tel 8669 3220) know nearer the time if you are able to donate flowers. We can arrange for flowers/greenery to be collected from you, or they can be left at the church on Friday, 4 June between 9.30 and 11.00 am.

Many thanks from Sue and all the flower arrangers.

Bible/Discussion Group

How do we know God?

What does it mean to believe? What is the Church?

What does it mean to belong to the family of God?

These and other questions will be explored over a cup of tea or coffee at 24 St Georges Road, Wallington, on Tuesday evenings commencing on 4 May, from 8 to 9.30 pm. Everyone is welcome. Transport can be arranged. Just bring your bible and enjoy a lively evening with fellow Christians. If you want to know more, ring Jenifer on 8773 2004.

Meetings in May will be on the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25^th

Spirits of their age

Wednesday, 12 May - 7.30pm Church Centre

Jackie Egerton invites you to an evening in which we shall continue to explore how poetry is able to convey so powerfully the individual spiritual experience as well as reflect the beliefs and doubts of the age in which it was written.

The event is free but we ask you to contribute £1 towards the cost of refreshments and photocopying.

The Albinoni String Orchestra

Bank Holiday Monday

3rd May 2004

7.30 pm

Tickets (including refreshments) available from

Sue (8669 3220) or Pat (8660 1047) and at door

Adults £6 Students £2 under 12 yrs free

Proceeds to go to The Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children and to Church funds

Programme:

Capriol Suite - Warlock

Cello Concerto in G - Boccherini

Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky - Arensky

Allegro from String Quartet in D - Schubert

Adagio in G minor - Albinoni arr Giazotto

Choreography - Dello Joio

Conductor Ian Butterworth

Leader Jillian Warburton

Cello Jenny Burt

Organ Jonathan Vaughn

Parish Quiet Day

A Parish Quiet Day is planned for Saturday, 5 June at St Mary's Abbey, West Malling. The beauty and prayerful atmosphere of the grounds of this Benedictine Abbey have proved very enjoyable and refreshing on previous occasions. The cost for the day will be approximately £8, depending on numbers involved and whether or not we need to hire transport.

We begin at 8.30 am with Morning Prayer at St Mary's, then travel to West Malling, arriving in time for coffee at 10 am. There will be two talks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, followed by silent time in which to read, meditate, pray or just walk and enjoy the grounds.

Lunch is at 12.30 (bring a packed lunch), tea and coffee provided. Hopefully the day will be sunny and we can enjoy our lunch together in the orchard.

The day ends with Evening Prayer and we should be back in Wallington by 5 pm.

There will be a tick-list at the back of the church for those interested in coming along; otherwise ring Jenifer on 8773 2004.

Please come

At a standing committee meeting for Deanery Synod we discussed just what would be useful for us to hear about and discuss at future meetings. We came up with the idea that we would like to learn about some of the good things happening around us in Sutton, many of which are run by Christians putting their faith into practice.

The next Deanery Synod is on Monday, 10 May at St Peter’s with Bishop Andrew, St Helier, at 7.45 pm. The speakers will be Mark Tomlinson of St Helier Community Church and Rosey King, Sutton Schools worker. They will be telling us about the exciting plans for a special project for young people, called ‘Soul in the City’, which will be running for a fortnight this summer.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Deanery Synod meetings, so do come along to hear about this local project.

Another date for your diary: At the meeting on Wednesday 6^th October, the main topic of discussion will be the Sutton Furniture Project.

Heather Cosgrove

Blackpool in Beddington

Those present of the congregation accustomed to Mr Wilson’s organ playing on Sundays, when the greatest excess is an exotic suspension or an adventurous reharmonisation of a final verse – who can forget his “Abbot’s Leigh”, were delighted by a concert given in aid of Church Funds which showed the entire panoply of his skills. From a sedate, thoughtful version of a Mendelsohn Organ Sonata to a medley of Blackpool tunes played as much in the appropriate style as the church’s organ will allow. There are many differences between the organ in church and a mighty Wurlitzer but Andrew managed to conjure some sounds from it that might be heard in the Tower Ballroom.

Andrew started off with his own very idiosyncratic version of the Bach Toccata in D minor. It is always possible for this piece to sound hackneyed but Andrew’s version is quite unlike any other. Andrew also played his own arrangement of “We’ll Gather Lilacs” which, of course, we had heard on Refreshment Sunday as the bouquets of flowers were being distributed. There were a couple of classical “bonnes bouches” of surpassing sweetness whose cloying tendencies were well balanced by more astringent items.

In the second half Andrew played, among other things, a medley of tunes some of which were chosen by the audience. Indeed on the way down to the concert in the ‘bus Andrew met one of the members of the audience who asked him for the “Great Gate of Kiev” from “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Mussorgsky which he then included. One member of the audience was heard to remark that it would be a good piece to work up in its entirety so that Andrew could work on the more Slavic sounds that the organ can produce.

All organists are mildly eccentric what with worrying about having the right shoes of sufficient flexibility; playing a number of keyboards and the pedals; electing the exact registration and avoiding the out of tune pipes - Andrew is no exception. What the audience got therefore was a delightfully enjoyable evening of varied styles played and introduced in Andrew’s inimitable manner.

When’s the next one?

Kevin Winstone

Stewart Kimber

As reported in last month's magazine, Stewart finally lost his four-year battle against cancer on 11 March at the age of 66 – exactly 66, it was also his birthday.

Those speaking at the Thanksgiving Service for his life held immediately after his funeral on 22 March shared with us their memories of Stewart – as a bellringer, as a work colleague, and as a member of the St Mary's congregation.

David Manger, who had known Stewart since around 1960, told of how Stewart learned to ring at Beddington in 1951 and had remained a Beddington ringer, much of the time as Ringing Master, for the rest of his life. Although having been a ringer for only three years, he was elected in 1954 to the Ancient Society of College Youths, and subsequently became a supernumery member of the St Paul's Cathedral band. David's first impression on meeting Stewart was that here was a fellow to be reckoned with; with his upright bearing, military moustache and red MG, he appeared to command respect right from the beginning – and that was before they got into the tower!

David went on the speak of Stewart's ringing prowess, quality of natural leadership, and fun-loving camaraderie. As a loyal member of the Surrey Association, he served as Master of the Northern District and twice undertook the post of Master of the Association for periods of three years each. He also represented his Association on the Central Council of Church Bellringers for 13 years from 1968 to 1980. The fact that he was elected to these positions was, in itself, a measure of the high regard in which he was held, but earlier this year the Surrey Association rewarded his achievements by electing him a Vice President – probably the highest award an Association can bestow on one of its members. Needless to say, this honour gave Stewart much pleasure.

David was the first to comment on Stewart's wonderful sense of fun, and this quality was picked up when Peter Franklin, a work colleague from the Financial Times since 1978, spoke of his reminiscences. He told of Stewart's entire working life having been in the printing and publishing industry (Stewart's father had worked for The Times so there was printing ink in his blood); how he started as an apprentice proofreader and by 1978 had gravitated back to the FT. But computerisation was ravaging their industry and when eventually redundancy loomed, the opportunity of retraining as journalists was offered and so it was back to school for the both of them. On completing the course they became sub-editors with the FT - and there Stewart remained for the rest of his working life. How to sum up Stewart? - a master of his profession, a jovial, caring human being, the FT's guru on all things grammatical (he could tell you the difference between "that" and "which"), amiable, sociable, a great family man.

Lastly, Selwyn spoke of Stewart's association with St Mary's from the age of eight when he joined the church choir. It was as a 13 yr old treble that he was "head-hunted" by the then Captain of the ringers, Frank Jennings, to join his band of ringers.

Selwyn liked to remember Stewart through a series of mental snapshots: the picture of Stewart as a man of inner stillness and peace who could be found after the Sunday morning service sitting on the table at the back of the church, legs dangling over the edge, watching the world go by like an over-sized garden gnome on a mushroom. Just sitting and waiting patiently for the next person or the next thing to happen that needed his attention. It seemed almost like his own brand of meditation. And his response when this habit was remarked upon – "Oh yes, well, I'm here like a coiled spring"!

Pictures of Stewart as a man of fun - playing Wishy-Washy in a Youth Fellowship panto; or scampering down the centre aisle in church at full speed as part of a three-legged race - but with a small toddler clinging to his ankle! As a person of innocence who attracted improbable happenings to himself - going to the aid of a party of young men in the act of ram-raiding a local gun shop, and genially asking if they needed a hand!; managing to lose a tank whilst serving as a military policeman on National Service; or on long-ago afternoon when umpiring at a ringers' cricket match, and at the precise moment when the wicket-keeper took a ball full in the face from the fast bowler, and was hopping about at one end of the pitch clasping a broken nose and spouting blood, had his attention distracted by a bee flying up his trouser leg and expressing its confusion in the only manner available to it . . . Stewart as a man of patience - patiently spending eleven years as 'Acting' Editor of this magazine, when he was supposed only to be doing the job until a new priest (Selwyn) had been appointed.

And a much more recent picture when Stewart’s loyalty and courage were summed up, week after week, when he had made his way with everyone else up to the communion rail on a Sunday morning, latterly walking with greater and greater difficulty and leaning heavily on a stick which he obviously hated. How he had borne the last couple of years very gently, with great determination, with ridiculous cheerfulness and with no fuss; how seeing him be where he had to be, and moving when he had to move, on Sunday mornings, became a simpler and more powerful statement about that same inner strength, peace and courage, and where it came from, than anything he could have tried to put into words. There had been only two or three occasions when his frame simply couldn’t do it and he asked for communion to be brought down to him in the ringers’ pew (or, as he irreverently put it, “today I’m ordering a take-away”).

It goes without saying that we shall all miss him, and our thoughts and prayers are with Jean, Nick, Chris and all his family. It was a privilege to know him and we are all thankful that we were able to enjoy his company for so long.

Memories of Stewart…

His warm welcome of "Hi there"

"There is too much chattering between the service ringing touches"

"Who am I going to play Cribbage with?"

I remember Stewart saying, "I hate weeping women."

(Whilst planning the refreshments for Stewart's Thanksgiving Service ) "We can't have Gala Pie - Stewart's not here to cut it up."

"A caring teacher, it was never too much trouble to show us how to do things."

"I will always remember Stewart for his amazing ability to correct my bellringing mistakes before they even happened."

"Stewart was an inspiration and changed my life"

When being suspicious of a visitor, Stewart’s advice was (should the need arise) “You catch him Pierre and I’ll sit on him!”

When the nurse bared his legs on my last visit to him in hospital, he said "Well, we've been friends for a long time."

"I was a little afraid of him at first, but soon realised he was a gentle giant with a heart of gold. "

I remember on a Mini-Ring Outing, Stewart managed to break not one but two ropes on our first visit

“Great Fun"

Christian Aid Week

9-15 May 2004

We believe in life before death

A collector's prayer

Lord of life,

underneath me are two feet –

please may they do this task willingly;

in front of me are rows of doors –

please may they open to me cheerfully;

in my hand are dozens of envelopes –

please may they be filled generously;

in my heart are millions of needy people –

may all I do this week make this

a world in which they can thrive.

Amen.

By supporting Christian Aid Week, you are among millions of people who think poverty is a scandal we do not have to accept. Your actions, commitment and contributions will bring about a better life for people in poor communities all over the world. We believe in life before death. Life is for living, not merely surviving.

A little of your time can help people in the Third World stand on their own two feet. You can be an important part of this year's Christian Aid Week by volunteering to deliver and collect our red donation envelope.

Your co-ordinator this year is Jane. who will be very grateful for offers of help with collecting. Please contact her 8395 8821 - she will tell you how to get involved.

Who said history is boring?…

Certainly not the audience in church on 17 April to hear John Phillips give a talk on the early history of St Mary's. Fascinatingly accompanied by slides, we listened to an enthusiast giving us both facts and surmise which held our complete attention for over an hour.

The Roman lead coffin in our church is there for all to see (as is a stone one in the nearby Dovecote), but the possibility that a Roman road ran nearby - well I never!! And there may have been a moat around the church and manor - all very plausible when explained by John. Before Wallington was every dreamed of, there were two villages nearby - Beddington and Bandon. And jolly important Beddington was too.

And so the evening progressed with references to the Carew family and its patronage, and historic detail on various parts of the church building. Altogether a most enjoyable and interesting experience. The interest aroused by the talk was evidenced by the number of questions asked and answered at the end.

With John giving generously of his time and talents, St Mary's Tower and Bell Fund benefited to the tune of £370 and Jean Kimber, in presenting John with a token of our appreciation, expressed the thanks of us all.

To conclude our evening we were invited to take refreshments which had been prepared and served by our Ringers, to whom we offer our grateful thanks for yet another memorable and well-organised evening.

Reg Willis

From the registers

Baptisms

April 11 Lily Ella Barton of 25 Church Lane, Wallington

Kyle Gary George Holdgate of 16 Robin Court, Care Road, Wallington

Dylan William Parks and Archie Roy Parks both of 8 Chiswick Close, Beddington

HMP Downview

Just a note to say thank you very much to those from St Mary's who have provided magazines for the inmates at HMP Downview. They have been very gratefully received.

The prison does provide a number of magazines for use in the library and later for distribution to the wrings. However, there are never enough to go round.

At present we are having a large amount of building work done. The old C wing is being refurbished and a new juvenile unit is being built for occupation by Christmas, so a mere 14 yrs after it was first converted, the prison once again looks like a building site. The building work has restricted access to the library, so magazines that can be sent back to the cells are highly sought after.

However, I shall be retiring from Downview, my last day there being 28 May, so please after that date - no more magazines. I would offer to continue taking them in, but feel I need to give my successor space without someone breathing down her neck, so I shall probably not be visiting Downview for some time after I leave.

So thank you once again ….. magazines please until 28 May, but not after.

Sue Bailey

The Friends of Beddington Park

The Friends held their second AGM on 24 March. Dee Hyatt, as Chairman, put on record the Friends' considerable achievements during last year. In particular, they had become a recognised force and gained the ear of the Council, so the Children's Playground had been refurbished, ramps installed in the road to the Café, and fly tipped rubbish had been cleared.

A ballot of all members to decide the Friends' next project resulted in top votes for a 'Winter Walk' around the ponds. Although development of the tennis court took second place, it was agreed to consult local youth services before proceeding with this; so - security lighting for pedestrians crossing the park from London Road to Croydon Road will be this year's second project.

Pat Kingsbury

Talking With Terry …

Terry Head retired at the end of April after 30 years as Sacristan. He first started serving at St Peter's, Streatham at the age of 12. After moving to Hackbridge he joined St Mary's Servers and later succeeded Edgar Smith as Sacristan when Edgar retired. He talked about the last 30 years with one of our Magazine Panel:

What do Sacristans do?

"They look after the 'church things' - the wine and wafers, and the candles, changing the seasonal colours on the Altar and often drawing up the Servers rota."

You must have seen a lot of changes in the last 30 years.

"The Services have evolved and changed and many things are done differently. Since priests have celebrated the Eucharist facing the congregation, the ceremonial involving Servers has been simplified and fewer are needed for each service. I like the way the Carew Chapel is now used for weekday services."

What have you particularly enjoyed about being Sacristan?

"I feel it is a way of serving God that one can do by oneself, in a quiet and personal way. I like handling the old chalices and pattens which have been used over many years. It is like handling sacred history. And I've enjoyed the job's quiet weekly routine."

Do you have any favourite seasons or services?

"Taking part in the long ceremonial of stripping the Altar and reserving the Host on Maundy Thursday is always a very moving experience. And I always enjoy the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve."

Are there any things you regret about these 30 years?

"I regret that at St Mary's we now have no boys and young men serving. In the 1970s we had seventeen. I am glad we now use modern language in the services, but I miss some of the old phrases - and I miss the 'Comfortable Words' which are not spoken any more."

You've so many years of experience, is there anything particular you would like to say to your successor?

"Whoever takes over should organise things their own way, and not be intimidated by the past. I won't be looking to see what's going on, but I will be around for anyone who wants to ask."

March To The Scaffold(ing)

Easter Monday was D-day for the ringers (Demolition day in the belfry). We had bought our own tower-scaffolding, which Mike Morgan and Nick Kimber eventually constructed - with the help of a little knowledge of Meccano and Lego!

The idea was to remove all the clock mechanism from across the ceiling, leaving the trap door free for when the bells are lowered. As the bells have not been moved since 1928, you can imagine how well-embedded all the nuts and bolts were. Mike and Nick, with Chris Kimber, Stan Coleman and Stan’s son-in-law, worked very hard indeed, scrambling around the heights, removing rods and wires. Dan and the ladies encouraged them from floor level and dusted and cleaned peal boards and removed them to safe storage. (They also made tea and coffee!)

The dust of ages - inches thick in places - triggered some allergies but the sufferers worked gamely on. Dan did a sterling job of cleaning up while the rest of us had lunch and it just needed Nick and Chris to remove the clock hammers from amongst the bells, for all to be safe and sound.

Apart from the fact that the clock doesn’t go and the bells sound louder in the ringing room, you wouldn’t know we’d been. The only casualty was Chris’s toolbox, which suffered a fatal blow when Mike dropped a large block on it! My grateful thanks go to the “team” for all their hard work and especially to son Nick, who came up from Southampton for the day specially to help us.

We’re now ready for the Foundry to come. For those of you who weren’t at the APCM, the reason nothing more has happened yet, is because English Heritage are demanding a full archaeological survey of the tower. They have had three years in which to do this survey but seem to prefer, as they often do, to throw in a spanner at the twelfth hour! We await the Chancellor’s verdict.

Jean Kimber

NB If anyone wants to borrow our scaffolding for home - or church! - improvements, we would be pleased to hire it out

Girl Guiding in Beddington

Girl Guiding in Beddington is alive and well, as those who attended the Church Parade service in February will know when we all remade our promises. We received a new name for the new millennium - we are now known as Girl Guiding UK - and have a ‘strap line’ of “Surprise Yourself“ and also new programmes. Guides and Brownies have theirs already and the new Rainbow Programme is about to be introduced. Uniforms also have changed - gone are the dull navy and brown colours to be replaced with more practical and colourful uniforms.

2004 is the 90^th Anniversary of the formation of the Brownies and in January a group of 15 Brownies and their Guiders (from 2 packs) spent a weekend at Butlins in Bognor as part of the Brownie Renewal programme. The staff at Butlins pulled all the stops out as 3,000 Brownies, Guiders, Young Leaders and various guiding support staff spent a brilliant weekend at ‘Funtasia’. The girls enjoyed various activities including fencing, archery, bowling, keep fit and access to the fun fair, and a session in the swimming pool. In the evening there were shows and discos to keep everyone entertained. In addition we all got to see the panto and the special celebration in which three of the girls went on stage to take part.

Last year the London and South East England Region sent out a challenge to all Guides, Guiders and Senior Section member to take the 'Eye to Ei Challenge'. Ten Beddington Guiders decided to take up the challenge and which meant during the weekend of 21-22 February they had to get from the London Eye to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, completing various challenges along the way, and raise money for 'Sight Savers International'.

After six months of asking for sponsorship and various fund raising events,we met at Wallington station on a cold but dry Saturday morning to make our way to the check-in at Lambeth where we received our ‘passports’ and challenges.

For the first challenge we had to identify pictures of famous landmarks in both London and Paris. We got our ‘passport’ stamped then went on for a ‘flight’ on the London Eye. After lunch, we completed our English challenges by collecting a picture of the queen, pickled onions and scones before we boarded the Eurostar for Paris. On the train we made a Frisbee (don’t ask - but it kept the other passengers amused!) and we read our challenges for the next day. We had been given some Girlguiding Euros which we had to use to buy cards of ten different landmarks around Paris between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm in a game of Monopoly, and also attend a special service at the Eiffel Tower at 11.00 am! After a slight hiccup (our hotel had had a flood!!) we were relocated to a neighbouring hotel where we freshened up and then found ourselves a lovely little restaurant for our evening meal.

After an early breakfast, at 9.00 am on a very cold but thankfully dry Sunday morning we found ourselves on the Metro heading for our first ‘stop’ - Sainte Chapelle. We then managed to visit Notre Dame and the Musee D’Orsay before making our way to the Eiffel Tower. Here, in conjunction with the Guides de France, we had taken over one of the entrances and one of the rooms on the first level for our Thinking Day celebration, where we remade our promises. We also learnt that the event had raised just over £25,000 for 'Sight Savers International', of which we had contributed £250.

After the celebration six of us climbed up to the next level (the ticket machine wasn’t working for the lift) to get a better view, but unfortunately this was spoilt due to low clouds. Then down again to get our ‘passport’ stamped, receive our challenge badge and on to the Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde and Arc De Triomphe.

By now it was getting very close to 3.00 pm and we still had three more cards to buy. We hadn’t stopped for anything to eat, only a drink whilst we were on the Tower. When we got to the Palais du Louvre we had to perform an action song rather than buying our card - so there we all were singing away with the minutes ticking by! One member of our group was determined we were going to do it and ran from the Metro to the Centre Pompidou and then back to the Metro for our last seven stops which would take us to the Sacre Coeur - our last card. We got off the Metro with four minutes to spare and once again our determined member ran off to purchase our last card - only to find that our contact was not at the foot of the steps of the hill as per the instructions, but rather at the foot of the steps to Sacre Coeur itself!! Rather out of breath she managed to purchase our last card whilst the rest of the group travelled up in the lift!! Once again the low cloud spoiled our view but we could all say we had completed our French Monopoly.

We had planned to have a coffee and a cake before we made our way back to Gard du Nord but on checking our watches we saw that in fact we had to make our way directly there to catch 5.10 pm Eurostar back, which was going to be in first class! It was lovely to be offered drinks and a very enjoyable three-course meal with yet more drinks as we unwound after our hectic day.

We had successfully completed all but one challenge, had managed to collect all our monopoly cards, get our French bread and a copy of Paris Match. We also had one member of the group led around the metro blindfolded to see what it would be like: her comment was it was okay to be told "step", but she was not told whether the step was up or down!). Unfortunately though, we did not have time to purchase the garlic! However we all agreed that we had a fantastic weekend.

If you have read this and hadn’t realised that there is more to Guiding than just organising weekly meetings and would like to find out more, or if you have any time to spare to share skills or assist with testing the girls for their badges, then please contact me on 020 8669 7084.

Ros Townsend

District Commissioner

Chocolate Frenzy !

Churches Together Lent Event

I was lucky enough to be involved in the arts event that took place at Holy Trinity on 3rd April and which offered people from all the CTBW churches and those from further afield the opportunity to try different kinds of art and creative experiences.

It was a great success - largely due to Daphne Larner from St Pat's who co-ordinated the event. The worship led by Patrick from Holy Trinity was relaxed and uplifting; the workshops were a creative oasis from the busy world; the lunches were delicious and professionally produced; and the crèche (run by our own Helena and Katy) was a warm and loving environment where many people said they were happy to leave their little ones.

I hope that CTBW do manage to organise other events like this. I feel sure that many people at St Mary's would enjoy them immensely.

Thanks to Helena, Katy and Margaret Mansfield for their help on the day.

Carolyn Churchyard

Do you have the key?

…a key to the West Door of the church, that is.

If so, have you had your key checked by Derek Sinclair over the last couple of months? He will be making some minor changes to the door lock soon and needs to ensure that everyone's key will fit before he goes ahead. So, if you haven't done so already, get your key to him for checking.

If you have a key that you no longer use, perhaps this is a good time to hand it back?

Plant Sale

at St Patrick's Church, Wallington on 1 May between 2 and4 pm

"Raising Money for Christian Aid"

Please come and support them and add some new plants to your spring borders.

Silver and the Church: Treasures from London Churches

This exhibition at Goldsmith's Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2, runs from 20 April until 15 May and marks the 14th centenary of the foundation of St Paul's Cathedral.

The exhibition will present a dazzling array of church silver ranging from across the history of the diocese of London, including extraordinary survivals from the Middle Ages, magnificent silver-gilt altar sets from the 17th and 18th centuries, superb jewelled vessels, together with ecclesiastical jewellery from the High Victorian Gothic revival. In addition, contemporary church silver is represented with examples of important commissions by eminent British silversmiths.

An alluring gleam of silver and gold in a magnificent setting.

And finally…

Learn from the mistakes of others.

You can't live long enough to make them all youself.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Back to home page

Sat	1	St Philip and St James. Eucharist	9.00 am
SUN	2	EASTER 4
Mon	3	Bank Holiday. (Church closed for concert rehearsal all day)
		The Albinoni String Orchestra Concert in church	7.30 pm
Tue	4	Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way	6.00 pm
		Bible/Discussion Group meets at 24 St George's Road	8.00 pm
Wed	5	St Mary's Guild meets at St Mary's Court. Freida Thasan talks about Switzerland	2.30 pm
		Churches Together AGM at Wallington Baptist Church	7.45 pm
Thu	6	MU&OG Countdown. Church Centre	8.00 pm
SUN	9	EASTER 5 Commissioning of new PCC at 9.30 Eucharist (Warning! Car Boot Sale in field this morning)
		United Service for Christian Aid Week at URC, Wallington	6.30 pm
Mon	10	Sutton Deanery Synod meets at St Peter's with Bishop Andrews, St Helier (No wedding bookings in church)	7.45 pm
Tue	11	Bible/Discussion Group meets at 24 St George's Road	8.00 pm
Wed	12	'Spirits of their Age' poetry evening. Church Centre	7.30 pm
Fri	14	St Matthias. Eucharist	7.30 pm
Sat	15	Trustees of St Mary's Court meet	10.00 am
Sun	16	EASTER 6
Mon	17	Wedding bookings in church	8.30 pm
Tue	18	Bible/Discussion Group meets at 24 St George's Road.	8.00 pm
		Swearing-in of new Churchwardens and PCC at St Mary Magdalen, Addiscombe	8.00 pm
Wed	19	MU Corporate Eucharist	10.00 am
Thu	20	ASCENSION DAY. Choral Eucharist	7.30 pm
		PCC meets. Church Centre	8.30 pm
Fri	21	A Bat Walk in Beddington Park	9.00-10.30 pm
SUN	23	EASTER 7 Carew Manor open to the public for tours
Tue	25	Bible/Discussion Group meets at 24 St George's Road	8.00 pm
SUN	30	PENTECOST
Mon	31	Bank Holiday
		Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. Eucharist	9.30 am

What’s On In May?

The Albinoni String Orchestra

HMP Downview

Talking With Terry …