St Marys Church Parish Magazine August 2004
Readings for
Sundays in August
Reflections on Two
Quiet Days (Part two)
Zimbabwe Link - Its
Future Development
The Mothers' Union
Wave Of Prayer
How well do you
know St Mary's?
Disability/Elderly - the church perspective -
In Darwin's
Footsteps (Part 1)
|
SUN |
1 |
TRINITY 8
(Warning! Car Boot Sale this morning) |
|
|
Mon |
2 |
Magazine Panel meets
at 35 Vanguard Way |
6.00 pm |
|
Wed |
4 |
St Mary's Guild
meets at St Mary's Court. Pat
Kingsbury will give a talk on 'The Garden' |
2.30 pm |
|
Fri |
6 |
The Transfiguration. Eucharist |
7.30 pm |
|
SUN |
8 |
TRINITY 9 |
|
|
Thu |
12 |
MU 'Wave of Prayer' at 18b Woodstock Road, Carshalton |
4.30 pm |
|
Sat |
14 |
'These You Have
Loved As Well' Church Centre |
7.30 pm |
|
SUN |
15 |
TRINITY 10'Parish
Garden' flowers in church |
|
|
Mon |
16 |
The Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eucharist |
9.30 am |
|
SUN |
22 |
TRINITY 11 |
|
|
Wed |
25 |
Friends of
Beddington Park meet at The Grange |
7.30 pm |
|
SUN |
29 |
TRINITY 12 |
|
|
Mon |
30 |
Bank Holiday. Church open |
|
On Sunday,
1 August, the president at the 8.00 am Eucharist will be Rev'd Will Cookson
from Springfield Church, and at 9.30 am Rev'd Patrick Campbell from St
Barnabas' College.
On Saturday,
14 August, at 7.30 pm in the Centre, there will be another evening of
recorded music, with wine and nibbles, under the title These You Have Loved
As Well following the runaway success of the similar evening in
January. Do you have (another) favourite
piece of classical music? Would you enjoy playing it to others, and listening
to their choice? Bring the CD with your
chosen piece (not more than about 10 minutes long), and, if you like, be
prepared to say a few words about why you are so attracted to your particular
choice. Or just come and listen, and be
entertained and uplifted by the choices others have provided. Entrance 4, all proceeds to the Shopping
List. If you would like to take part,
please give your name, your money and the title of your piece to Selwyn by the
previous Sunday, August 8th.
There will
be two additional Eucharists celebrated in August, the first on Friday,
6th at 7.30 pm (The Transfiguration), and another on Monday, 16th at 9.30 am
(The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Evensong
in August : Until the choir returns from
holiday on 5 September, evening prayer will be said.
Advance dates
for your diary
On Sunday,
5 September we celebrate our Patronal Festival The Blessed Virgin Mary. Services at usual times and we welcome back
our choir from their summer break. (Warning - there will be a car boot sale
that morning.)
Sunday,
12 September. A reminder that from this month our monthly Baptism
Sundays will have a slightly new look: Any Baptisms not happening during
the 9.30 Sung Eucharist will take place at 11.30 am on a
convenient Sunday, not necessarily always on the second Sunday in the month,
and no longer at 3.00 in the afternoon.
The change of time has been deliberately made so that as many as
possible of the regular congregation can stay behind for a while on Baptism
Sundays, to be present during the Baptism service and so be seen to welcome the
children being baptized, and to give their parents and friends a very public
sign of the churchs support and prayers.
There are also opportunities during the Baptism service itself for
members of the congregation to take part, by reading the Bible passage for the
day or by leading the formal prayers.
The first new-style baptisms take place on Sunday 12th, at
11.30 am, and it would be good to see a large number of regulars staying
on to usher the new service in in style.
Sunday 1 August
Trinity 8
Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 12-14; 2: 18-23 (page 955)
Colossians 3: 1-11 (page 957)
Luke 12: 13-21 (page 958)
Sunday 8 August
Trinity 9
Genesis 15: 1-6 (page 961)
Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16 (page 962)
Luke 12: 32-40 (page 964)
Sunday 15 August
Trinity 10
Jeremiah 23: 23-29 (page 967)
Hebrews 11: 29-12: 2 (page 968)
Luke 12: 49-56 (page 969)
Sunday 22 August
Trinity 11
Isaiah 58: 9b-14 (page 972)
Hebrews 12: 18-29 (page 973)
Luke 13: 10-17 (page 974)
Sunday 29 August
Trinity 12
Ecclesiasticus 10: 12-18 (page 977)
Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16 (page 979)
Luke 14: 1, 7-14 (page 980)
Wed 4 John Vianney, spiritual director, 1859
Fri
6 The Transfiguration of our
Lord
Tue 10 Laurence,
Deacon of Rome, martyr, 258
Wed 11 Clare
of Assisi, founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares), 1253
Sat 14 Maximilian
Kolbe, martyr, 1941
Fri 20 Bernard,
Abbot of Clairvaux, teacher, 1153
Tue 24 Bartholomew
the Apostle
Fri 27 Monica,
mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
Sat 28 Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo, 430
Tue 31 Aidan,
Bishop of Lindisfarne, missionary, 651
- Christian witness
amidst 20th century suffering
Some peoples lives
seem to epitomise the suffering of millions, but also to shine with a Christian
response to it. One such person was Maximilian Kolbe, 1894 - 1941, a Franciscan
priest of Poland, and publisher extraordinary.
Maximilian was born at
Zdunska Wola, near Lodz, where his parents, devout Christians, worked in a
cottage weaving industry. Like thousands of others at the time, the family and
their village was ground into poverty by Russian exploitation.
In 1910 Maximilian
entered the Franciscan Order, and studied at Rome. After his ordination in
1919, Maximilian returned to Poland, where he was sent to teach church history
in a seminary. But a new factor had entered his life: he diagnosed with
tuberculosis.
Living in post-war
Poland was difficult enough, but with tuberculosis as well - most people would
have quietly withered away. Not Maximilian Kolbe.
Instead, the tuberculosis
gave Maximilian a sense of urgency - a sense of the brief transitoriness of
this life. He knew his time was slipping away. Instead of teaching history, he
determined to do something to help the Christians living in Poland now, in the
tatters of Europe after the First World War. And so he founded a magazine for
Christian readers in Cracow, who badly needed effective apologetics to help
them hold to their faith in a chaotic world.
Soon, the obsolete
printing presses (which were operated by Maximilians fellow priests and lay
brothers) were working overtime - the magazines circulation had leapt to
45,000. Then the printing presses were moved to a town near Warsaw,
Niepokalanow, where Maximilian now founded a Franciscan community which
combined prayer with cheerfulness and poverty with modern technology: daily as
well as weekly newspapers were soon produced. The community grew and grew,
until by the late 1930s it numbered 762 friars.
Then in 1939 the
Germans invaded Poland. Maximilian sent most of his friars home, to protect
them from what was to come. He turned the monastery into a refugee camp for
3,000 Poles and 1,500 Jews. And the presses continued: taking a patriotic,
independent line, critical of the Third Reich.
Kolbe was arrested by
the Gestapo along with four friars. They were taken to Auschwitz in May 1941.
Their names were exchanged for tattooed numbers; and they were sent to brutal
forced labour.
But Maximilian Kolbe
continued his priestly ministry. He heard confessions in unlikely places, and
smuggled in bread and wine for the Eucharist. His sympathy and compassion for
those even more unfortunate than himself was outstanding.
Then came the final
scene in his hard life. At the end of July, 1941, several men escaped from his
bunker at the camp. The Gestapo, in revenge, came to select several more men
from the same bunker who were to be starved to death. A man, Francis
Gajowniczek, was chosen. As he cried in despair, Kolbe stepped forward.
I am a Catholic
priest. I wish to die for that man. I am old; he has a wife and children. The
officer in charge shrugged his shoulders - and obliged. So Maximilian went to the death chamber of
Cell 18, and set about preparing the others to die with dignity by prayers,
psalms, and the example of Christs Passion. Two weeks later only four were
left alive: Maximilian alone was fully conscious. He was injected with phenol
and died on 14 August, aged 47.
He was beatified by
Paul VI in 1971. In 1982 he was canonised by Pope John Paul II, formerly Archbishop
of Cracow, the diocese which contains Auschwitz. Present at the ceremony that
day was Francis Gajowniczek, the man whose life Maximilian Kolbe had saved.
We are sad to announce
the death of Revd John
Read early on Monday 19 July, at the age of 87. He was Rector of St Mary's from 1961 to 1978
and in recent years still a frequent visitor at important events. He and his wife Frances made many lasting
friendships here, and he will be much missed.
An appreciation of
John may well appear in our next issue - in the meantime our love and sympathy
go to Frances and their family.
Day Two : St Paul's, Roundshaw
Initially this Quiet Day was to be held at St Michaels Wallington, but due to building work in the church which rendered it anything but quiet, the venue was changed to St Pauls.
Having attended our own parish Quiet Day at West Malling a fortnight earlier, I wasnt sure that a quiet day on Roundshaw was going to be as peaceful and fulfilling. How wrong I was!
Walking along Mollison Drive on my first visit to Roundshaw since the start of its regeneration, my eyes were opened to what imaginative planning, design and investment can do to bring a community to life. With its new shops, traditionally-built houses and the 5.9 million Phoenix Centre, incorporating sports facilities, library, youth centre and much more nearing completion, Roundshaw had certainly shed its image of a run-down, vandalised estate. What I discovered as I walked to St Pauls, was regeneration in action and at its centre, with life going on all around, the oasis of peace that is the rebuilt St Pauls, complete with its distinctive propeller saved from the old church hung on the outer east wall.
As I entered the church I was immediately aware of a bright and welcoming atmosphere and the sense of peace found in a place of witness and prayer. The Rev David Walford, a Chaplain at St Helier Hospital, who was to lead the Quiet Day, the theme of which was Prayer and Health, welcomed me and introduced me to other members of a group numbering about fifteen from various local churches. After coffee we gathered in the church for the first of three short meditations and talks.
The purpose of the first meditation, which involved us concentrating on our breathing, was to make us aware of creation and our part in it.
In his first talk David defined health as The state of being that allows us to function fully, joyfully and creatively as human beings. He went on to give some life examples that included a man with chest pains who arrives at the A & E department of the local hospital, a woman suffering from stress and emotional trauma who approaches her doctor, and a retired gentleman new to church who approaches his parish priest. All these examples illustrated a state of DIS-EASE, in body, mind or spirit and illustrated how upset in one of these areas can affect the rest. David concluded by stating that to be healthy all human beings, groups, communities and nations need confidence, imagination, welcome, sharing and love. If any of these are missing health suffers.
With plenty to contemplate we were encouraged to use the church and the surrounding area, including the large area of parkland across the road, for our times of silence.
The second meditation focused on feeling, knowing and giving thanks for our bodies and involved flexing and relaxing exercises.
In his second talk David spoke about self-esteem, one's awareness of where we are as opposed to where we want to be. He used the story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus to illustrate how Jesus made sure that Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted and made him aware that his life would never be the same, before curing him. David then focused on stress and gave us a number of examples of how Jesus dealt with stress, which included avoiding increasing expectations, enjoying the good things of life and relating all things to God in prayer. All the examples he gave are just as relevant today as they were in Jesus time.
After another period of silence and reflection we were treated to some delicious homemade soup provided by Patrick, Vicar of St Michaels, who didnt need to encourage us to have seconds.
Our third meditation focused on hands and Isaiah 49:v16. I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands. It concluded with us giving thanks that we are all in Gods hands.
Davids final talk was entitled 'Moving towards Health' and he started by briefly reminding us that we need to consider our physical health by looking after the bodies that God has given us by exercising, considering our diet, etc. He went on to consider the changes in attitude that major health events effect in people. Two of the examples he used were, the move from the attitude of ignorance ("It wont happen to me") to awareness; and from 'independence' where we are in complete control, to 'interdependence' where we have to share each others expertise and develop trust.
He concluded this with a look at changes in spiritual attitudes, which raised some serious questions and echoed what I had been pondering two weeks earlier at West Malling. Have we committed ourselves to Jesus teaching of Gods will be done? Is God really at the centre of our lives or do we let religious trivialities get in the way? Do we see God as a judgmental God whom we fear, or do we accept him as Jesus shows us as loving and welcoming? Davids final words at this point gave me hope. Our faith should be a faith that heals, leading to life in all its fullness that Jesus came to bring us.
After our final period of silence David gave us the opportunity to ask questions and share our thoughts about the day. We all agreed that the day had been very thought provoking and worthwhile and that St Pauls is a wonderful place to spend a quiet day and experience inner peace.
Throughout the day my eyes had been drawn to the stone base of the Altar on which is carved the image of our Lord holding bread in his hands, standing between two disciples. Although David had not touched upon the Eucharist during the day, this image had been for me a constant reminder of the theme of the West Malling Quiet Day. Our Lord is very much at the centre on Roundshaw and where our Lord is at the centre, wonderful things happen.
David is hoping to arrange another Quiet Day for early next year, hopefully at the same venue. Watch this space for further details.
Linda Wood
When asked to write
about Jamie's funeral and the reasons behind the clothes that we wore on the
day and the Thanksgiving service, my first thought was "Me, who broke all
that Ghanaian tradition dictates?"
Most of you will know that
Jamie was born severely disabled with many complications such as reflux, very
low oxygen levels, curvature of the spine, double incontinence, no speech,
growth hormone deficiency, and the inability to walk unaided until three years
ago. Jamie was never diagnosed with a
syndrome and continued to baffle consultants both at Queen Mary's and Great
Ormond Street hospitals right up to his death.
As Jamie grew he developed convulsions, erosion of his oesophagus and, recently,
a large stomach ulcer. In the end it was
a reflux that choked him and cut his life short.
When a child dies we
are not supposed to make a fuss over their death, it is said that the child
should be buried quickly and quietly and the period of mourning should be very
short. The reason behind this is that a
child is innocent and pure and to mourn a child's death and create a fuss is to
question our belief in God, and by so doing you are stopping God's blessing on
you and your family.
In our tradition there
is a particular type of cloth you wear during a funeral, the age of the person
who has died dictates what type and colour should be worn. In Jamie's case it was white (pure and
innocent) with a little bit of black which is usually in the pattern on the
cloth. This indicates that the person we
are burying is either a child or a young person. All our cloths have a meaning and the one we
wore for Jamie's funeral was "If you have God you have
everything". It is usually close
family members who wear identical cloths; others would wear one with their
chosen design.
The Thanksgiving
service was basically family and friends coming together to thank God for the
life of Jamie and to let God know that although He has left a void in our
lives, we accept that He has called His son and creation home and that we would
continue to seek Him and thank Him for His continued blessings on the
family. It is also a time to remember
all other loved ones who have passed away.
Maud Adams
Eileen England would
like to thank everyone for the card and good wishes received for her recent
75th birthday.
Due to popular demand
another Parish Garden Day has been requested and this will take place on
Sunday, 15 August.
The flower arrangers
will be delighted to receive your flowers and/or greenery in church on Friday,
13 August between 9.30 and 11.00 am so they can be conditioned before being
arranged on Saturday. If necessary,
flowers/greenery can be collected from your home.
Please contact Sue Ardley
(8669 3220) if you would like any further information or have any queries.
Bishop Nick wants the
link between Central Zimbabwe and the Croydon Episcopal Area to be developed as
a two-way process of sharing. He
therefore asked churches to send representatives, Derek Sinclair and I
attended, to a meeting in Croydon on 8 July to further explore this
issue. He had a good response to his
request.
When the link was
formed with Southwark, Zimbabwe had three dioceses so Croydon, Kingston and
Woolwich took one each. There are now
five dioceses in Zimbabwe but Bishop Nick believes that the one-to-one
relationship is more likely to succeed.
He called for people
with special skills to serve on the Link Group: someone to chair it, an IT
specialist to promote perhaps a regular news sheet - but he was open to other suggestions.
He spoke of the visit
he and Mrs Baines had made to Central Zimbabwe over Easter. At one service he was called to sum up -
after three speakers had held forth at length in Shona - a language of which he
knew not one word (well, perhaps one or two).
At another church he could see Bishop Ishmael and the congregation
sharing a joke. Bishop Ishmael had asked
why the singing was so subdued; the response - a desire not to overwhelm the
guests! - to which he replied, "That's what they've come for - to hear
you!" Some people had walked 20
miles to get to the communion service, and would have to walk 20 miles
home.
Mrs Baines remarked on
the strength of the Mothers' Union as being a driving force in the church. Bishop Ishmael had made the same point when
he talked to the Sutton Deanery Synod some years ago. He had impressed the
Synod and now our Bishop, with his positive thinking and outlook in the extremely
difficult and troubled times Zimbabwe is enduring.
Bishop Nick had
displayed photographs taken during his visit.
Hopefully these may be seen by more if a news sheet can be produced.
Margaret Freeman
11-15 August 2004
For the dioceses of
Southwark, Aba, Calabar, Niger Delta North, Uyo, Butere, and Northern Territory
The Wave of Prayer is
carried out every day throughout the year as an act of thanksgiving and
intercession, by and for members of the MU throughout the world. Each diocese in the UK is linked with other
dioceses worldwide and a special effort is made to think of and pray for each
other at this time.
It is a great thought
that every day of the year MU members are thinking of and praying for each
other all over the world. Our branch
"slot" is on Thursday, 12 August from 4.30 to 5 pm and our
members will meet together at the Tapp household: 18b Woodstock Road,
Carshalton.
SOUTHWARK diocese covers the area between the south bank
of the Thames, through the suburbs of London, the villages and towns of East
Surrey, to the borders of Gatwick Airport.
We pray for Ann Wright, Diocesan President, and all members -
remembering particularly those who have taken on new roles in this triennial.
NIGERIA
Aba is situated in the rain forest region of the
south east. It has a population of more
than one million scattered over an area of 5,000 square miles. We remember the Diocesan President, Mrs
Stella Ezuoke and all her members, especially those seeking to overcome the
problems caused by HIV/AIDS.
Calabar is a diocese with 23 churches. We pray for the work of the MU under the
guidance of its President, Lady Dorothy Tunde-Adeleye. In particular we remember the Mary Sumner
Clinic where work is being done to help those with HIV/AIDS.
Niger Delta North has 80% of the churches in rural areas and 20%
in the urban city of Port Harcourt. All
MU members are struggling in difficult times and badly need our prayers.
Uyo is known as the Missionary Diocese. We remember Lady Nyglass and all MU members
in this growing diocese and for the work of the church.
KENYA
Butere is a small but heavily populated diocese in
rural Kenya, with2,401 registered MU members.
We pray for the completion of Holy Trinity Church in Emutali and for
Janet Oyonti, chairlady of the MU, and for the school of which she is head
teacher.
AUSTRALIA
Northern Territory covers one sixth of Australia with less than
1% of the nation's people. We offer our
prayers for Robyn Pinkerton, MU President, and for all the work done with
Aboriginal people there. St Mary's MU
branch here at home maintains links with the branch in Yarrawouge NT,
exchanging cards and news at Easter and Christmas.
Do come and join us in
the Wave of Prayer. There will be tea!
Mary Tapp
If you were not in
church to see The Messiah on Sunday, 4 July (you were probably watching
tennis or football!) then you missed the event of the year. The beautiful voices of Joanna Soane and
Camilla Cutts were a joy to hear, and the spirited renditions of David Menezes
and Leon Berger made the church ring with praise. Our choir, joined by a tenor from St
Botolph's in Worthing, produced a sound so smooth and wonderful that it made
you want to hear more of them, and Andrew Wilson our organist held the whole
concert together with pure professionalism.
The Hallelujah Chorus
made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, especially the very smooth
trumpet of George Boote and the timpani playing of 16 year old Sarah Collier (a
pupil of Chris Kimber). Andrew's organ
solo of the Pastoral symphony was a pleasure to listen to and appreciated by
all the audience.
At the end of the
concert the final chorus was tremendous, running about seven minutes with only
the one word being sung, Amen. Only Handel could put one word to music and make
it so beautiful and enjoyable.
It is with sincerity
that I say thank you to all the artists and the choir for giving their time and
expertise to entertain about 135 people and allowing the retiring collection of
480 to be donated to the Tower & Bells Fund. The ringers were pleased to organise the
refreshments which were appreciated by the visitors. Many commented to the
ringers on the vast selection available, but how sad that choir members were
banned from eating crisps as it might affect their voices. Finally, a thank you to Selwyn for providing
soloists from the Chimes Musical Theatre pool and for the use of the church for
such a wonderful and successful event.
Stan Coleman
What can we do for
the Messiah?
No, thats not a quote
from Jenifers Trinity 4 sermon, though
it could well have been. It was actually the question on the lips of the
ringers as they tried to decide what refreshments to provide for the event (The
Messiah, not Jenifers sermon).
When tickets are not
being sold, its always difficult to guestimate numbers. It was particularly
hard when one took into account Wimbledon Finals, the French Grand Prix and the
final of Euro 2004!
There were probably no
Greeks or Portuguese at our event but whoever they were, they made excellent
in-roads into the refreshments. Yes, Purley livestock, which includes the dog,
does like corned beef sandwiches and sausage rolls but really there were few
leftovers.
As Stan has already
said in the previous article, the whole evening was a great success. The
soloists were superb and the choir, consisting of eight trebles, three altos,
three tenors and three basses, did a marvellous job with the chorus parts. Well
done, all of you.
St Marys events are
becoming famous locally. People always say what lovely refreshments we provide,
how friendly people are and how welcoming St Marys is. Perhaps this is where
the message of Jenifers sermon comes in. We are making sure people know about
St Marys Church. We are offering them alternatives to services and if they
enjoy coming and receiving a welcome, maybe it will give them the confidence to
come along on Sundays too. As Jenifer said, we are being there for them;
our Christian message is conveyed by who we are, what we do and how we present
ourselves.
What are we doing for
the Messiah? What indeed.
Jean Kimber
Between now and Saturday,
23 October, you should pay even more attention to the details of the fabric of
St Mary's.
There is to be a quiz
- not an interrogation! - on the topic of St Mary's. Look carefully at all details, however
small. For example, on which corner is there
a repair to the surface of the font? You
didn't know? Never mind. You've nearly three months to find out. You did know?
You're just the sort of clever so and so who'd be in line for the lavish
prize.
More importantly, for
a fee (which will go to Church Funds), you can have a pleasant social evening
during which you can learn even more than you already know about this wonderful
building which it would be a shame to take for granted.
Starting the evening
in the Centre, there will be questions for you to struggle with and then an
opportunity to roam around the church seeking the answers.
Whatever you do, come
and enjoy yourself.
Kevin Winstone
Saturday, 11 September
: 1.30 - 3.30 pm
Come and join the PCC
for an afternoon workshop looking at ways to help improve St Mary's
disability/elderly policy.
A social worker whose
field of expertise is working with the elderly/disabled, will present an hours
workshop and then there will be a Q&A session over coffee.
Please do try to join
us.
Carolyn
Churchyard
Are there any ex
pupils of Highview County Primary and Secondary School among our readers? Julie Brown (a niece of Millie Brett)
together with three other former pupils (in contact again via the infamous
'Friends Reunited' website!) is organising a reunion on Saturday, 25 September
at
July 11 Alex James Edward Bunce of
July 11 Joshua James Alexander Edward Oldale of 28 Chiswick Close, Beddington
July 11 Niamh Elizabeth Wickens of 39
July 11 Abigail Rose Valentine-Rugg of
June 26 Brian Haite and Kaye Louise Norris of Flat 3, 8 Twickenham Close, Beddington
July 3 Jason Alan James Feist and Sandra Jane Mackins of 28 Twickenham Close, Beddington
July 17 Matthew Hawkins and Joanne
Murphy of
July 17 Glen David Sanger and Nicola
June 25 Jamie Kobina
Mensah Adams, aged 11 of
A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the
answer to "Where do pets come from?"
It runs:
And Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, You walked with me
every day. Now I do not see You anymore. I am lonely here and it is difficult
for me to remember how much You love me."
And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that
will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of My love for you, so
that you will love Me even when you cannot see Me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or
unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will
love you as I do, in spite of yourself."
And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a
good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with
Adam and he wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the
Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal." And God said, "No problem! Because I
have created this new animal to be a reflection of My love for you, his name
will be a reflection of My own name, and you will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And
Adam was comforted. And God was pleased, and saw that it was good. And Dog was
content and wagged his tail.
After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the
Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and
preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed
taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."
And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who
will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will
remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of
adoration."
And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey
Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the
Supreme Being. And Adam learned humility.
And God was pleased, and saw that it was good. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was
happy and wagged his tail. And the Cat didn't give a hoot one way or the other.
It's the holiday
season, but if you're not leaving home this summer, you might like to join our
intrepid Pam Vernon as she travels far south to
On
Together with 11
others, and arranged by Photo Travellers with whom I went to
The Spanish Conquest
of Ecuador in 1530 followed intense battles with the local Incas and Indians.
Thereafter the Hacienda style of farming was introduced, in which local people
were taken from the land and given as slaves to the Spanish rich. Later they
were allotted land.
Today the main exports
are oil, bananas, shrimps, coffee and, more recently, roses. These are grown
under plastic and provide magnificent displays, especially as the candidates
for the Miss Universe competition were somewhere in the city (we always missed
them).
The
In
We had a coach
provided for our stay and were able to stop off at several craft sites. One was
where they make dough figures, mainly Christmas decorations. So much work goes
into these but the small ones were selling at four for only 75p. Another stop
was at a bakery where hundreds of identical biscuits were made, baked and
enjoyed. Weaving was the main trade at the next and several purchases were made
of woollen wall hangings and clothes. In the house next door, we were invited
to see loads of guinea pigs. However, when it was explained that they are a
delicacy, were ready for Harvest celebrations and are regular fare at weddings,
we were not so keen!
We moved on to another
hacienda, Laciena. Here the local
market was very colourful and a popular tourist site.
In each place we
stayed there were wood fires in the bedrooms as it was actually quite cold and
on the last day it rained and hailed. Those who had not brought warmer clothing
were sorry, but fortunately my fleece proved its worth.
In next month's
magazine, we fly off to the Galapagos Islands for some serious wildlife
watching.
Pam Vernon
In July and August we
are well into the 'cricket season' - that is the non-festival Sundays when the priest
wears green vestments and the Altar Frontal is in a similar colour.
Green is regarded as
the ordinary colour of nature, calm, suggesting God's provision for our
needs. Colours for the Church's other
seasons are white (or gold) for the major joyful festivals such as Christmas,
Easter and Ascensiontide as well as the joyful Saints' days. Red, the colour of fire, is for Whitsun and
for commemorating Martyrs. Purple (or violet) is for Advent and Lent, the
seasons of penitence and preparation.
Pat Kingsbury
St Ethelwold was a
Bishop of Winchester in the 10th century. He was born around 908 and became a
monk at Glastonbury under St Dunstan, with whom he was associated in the
tenth-century renewal of the English church.
About 954 Ethelwold
was entrusted with the re-establishment of Abingdon Abbey and in 963 was
consecrated bishop of Winchester. There he ejected the secular clergy from the
cathedral and put monks in their place. In the years that followed he founded,
or re-founded, a number of monasteries, including Peterborough, Ely and
Thorney.
Ethelwold was austere,
able and dynamic. Under his leadership, the monks surpassed themselves in
music, illumination and writing. When
Ethelwold set the monks to work with the masons in the cathedral at Winchester,
he built the most powerful organ of its time in England: it was played by two
monks, and had 400 pipes and 36 bellows.
In music, Ethelwolds Winchester had the distinction of producing the
first English polyphony in the Winchester Troper.
He translated books
into English, among them the Rule of St Benedict, for the benefit of nuns who
didnt know Latin. He is reported to have been a bishop of tireless energy,
carrying out reforms whatever the opposition, full of sympathy for the
unfortunate and his work had a lasting effect.
What did he do for us?
He died at Beddington in 984 and a place of worship was erected in his memory -
and so St Marys came about. His feast day is August 1 - let us remember him
and be thankful for his final act!
Jean Kimber
Sun 1 That we may share generously with those
in need
Mon 2 Workers in the holiday industry
Tue 3 The safety of all who travel this
holiday season
Wed 4 Ambulance and emergency services
Thu 5 All suffering in war torn areas of the
world
Fri
6 Thanksgiving for the
revealing of Christ in glory
Sat 7 Universities hosting summer courses
Sun 8 All who will preach and teach today
Mon 9 Thanksgiving for the founding of the
Mothers' Union
Tue 10 All
who are married and every parent and child
Wed 11 Communities
of Minoresses (Poor Clares)
Thu 12 Families
away on holiday
Fri 13 The
Diocese of Down and Connor
Sat 14 The
Church in Eastern Europe
Sun 15 Nationwide
repentance and turning to God
Mon 16 All
whose freedom has been taken from them
Tue 17 Harmony
and love in our families
Wed 18 Our
local clergy fraternity
Thu 19 For
patience in difficult times
Fri 20 The
Salvation Army
Sat 21 All
who are sick and in pain
Sun 22 That
we may be willing to share each others burdens
Mon 23 Hospital
chaplains and hospital visitors
Tue 24 Local
doctors and medical centres
Wed 25 All
who are training for the ordained ministry
Thu 26 The
leaders of the nations of the world
Fri 27 Thanksgiving
for the prayers and examples of faithful mothers
Sat 28 Thanksgiving
for the life and teaching of Augustine of Hippo
Sun 29 That
we may give expecting nothing in return
Mon 30 All
prisoners of conscience and Amnesty International
Tue 31 Our
link dioceses in Zimbabwe
is the title of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery
until 31 October. There are portraits,
photographs, souvenirs and the fascinating stories of women who travelled to
distant places between the 1660s and the 1960s.
Well worth a visit!
1. If it's green or it wriggles, it's Biology.
2. If it stinks, it's Chemistry.
3. If it doesn't work, it's Physics.
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