What’s on in April?
Sat	1	‘Families’ Easter Party ‘King of Kings’ A showing of this silent film in church	2 to 4 pm 7.30 pm
SUN	2	LENT 5 - PASSION SUNDAY
Tue	4	Magazine panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way	10.30 am
Wed	5	Eucharist Lent Course followed by Lent Lunch in the Centre St Mary’s Guild meeting. Dee Hyatt talks about ‘Friends of Beddington Park’	10.00 am 10.45 am 2.30 pm
Thu	6	MU&OG. Lent Meditation with Jenifer Davison. The Centre	7.30 pm
Sat	8	Womens World Day of Prayer Coffee Morning at Beddington Gardens Methodist Church Hall. ‘A Walk Through The Bible’ event at Wallington URC	10 am to midday 10 am to 4 pm
Details of Holy Week services from Sunday 9 April are show below and under ‘Special Services’
Mon	17	Easter Monday Bank Holiday. Church open	11 am to 5 pm
Wed	19	MU Corporate Eucharist	10.00 am
Thu	20	MU&OG. ‘Taste & Tell’ evening. The Centre	7.30 pm
SUN	23	EASTER 2 . St George Easter Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meeting in the Centre	11.30 am
SUN	30	EASTER 3

Holy Week Services
SUN	9	LENT 6 - PALM SUNDAY Procession of Palms and Sung Eucharist Passover meal in the Centre (There will be no Evensong tonight)	9.30 am 6.30 pm
Mon	10	Eucharist Meditation and Compline	9.00 am 7.30 pm
Tue	11	Eucharist Meditation and Compline	9.00 am 7.30 pm
Wed	12	Eucharist Stations of the Cross	9.00 am 7.30 pm
Thu	13	MAUNDY THURSDAY Sung Eucharist of the Last Supper A vigil of silent prayer will be kept in the Carew Chapel following the end of the Eucharist until the start of tomorrow’s afternoon service	7.30 pm
FRI	14	GOOD FRIDAY Churches Together Walk of Witness from St Michael’s to Holy Trinity. A Service of Reading and Music to commemorate the Death of Jesus on the Cross Last Hour by the Cross	Noon 1.00 pm 2.00 pm
Sat	15	Easter Eve
SUN	16	EASTER DAY Easter Vigil Sung Eucharist Evensong	5.30 am 9.30 am 6.30 pm

Saints and Commemorations in April

Sat 1 Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, Teacher, 1872

Mon 24 George, Martyr, Patron of England, c304

Tue 25 Mark the Evangelist

Thu 27 Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894

Fri 28 Peter Chanel, Missionary in the South Pacific, Martyr, 1841

St Winwallow (remember him from the December magazine?)

Sat 29 Catherine of Siena, Teacher, 1380

Readings for Sundays and Festivals in April

Sunday, 2 April

Lent 5

Jeremiah 31: 31-34

Hebrews 5: 5-10

John 12: 20-33

Sunday, 9 April

Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50: 4-9a

Mark 14: 1 to 15: end

Thursday, 13 April

Maundy Thursday

Exodus 12: 1-14

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

Friday, 14 April

Good Friday

Isaiah 52: 13 to 53: 12

Hebrews 10: 16-25

John 18: 1 to 19: 42

Sunday 16 April

Easter Day

Acts 10: 34-43

1 Corinthians 15: 1-11

John 20: 1-18

Sunday, 23 April

Acts 4: 32-35

1John 1: 1 to 2: 2

John 20: 19-31

Sunday, 30 April

Easter 3

Acts 3: 12-19

1 John 3: 1-7

Luke 24: 36b-48

A Feast of Liberation

Alleluia! Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us,

so let us keep the feast! Alleluia!

One of my hobbies is reading recipe books. I love flicking idly through, thinking of all the things that I would love to cook if I had the time and enough people to eat everything!

One of my favourites at the moment is “Feast” by Nigella Lawson. Its premise is that food helps to celebrate life. “Basic to the whole thing of being human is that we use food to mark occasions that are important to us in life”, she writes in the introduction. In some very real sense we are what we eat and why we eat it is crucial. Rituals and feasts shape our lives.

The Church is the primary example of this. We are a community focused round a great banquet of bread and wine. It is the focus of our being, the food that gives us the spiritual strength to go on and to go out into the world. Week by week we gather around the table to share in the meal which God has provided, the bread and the wine that are the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As we share in that, we incorporate into our very being the love and the liberation of God which knows no limits, which even death itself cannot limit. And it reaches its height at Easter, when on Easter Sunday we enter into the newly risen life, ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. Easter Sunday is our feast of liberation above all others.

But Christianity is not the only faith with such a feast. The Jewish people, our foremothers and fathers in faith, celebrate the Passover, a festival commanded by God. It marks the escape of the Hebrew slaves from captivity in Egypt and the first sense of the Jewish people as a people chosen by and formed by God. The book of Exodus gives us a clear description of what is and isn’t to be eaten and why, and all the foods consumed have a symbolic as well as nutritional value. So through food and drink we remember the hard work of the slaves, the plagues that inflicted Egypt, the events of the Passover night itself. We remember too, as we celebrate the liberation of the Jewish people all those throughout the centuries who have suffered, and who still suffer, from oppression of any kind. Like the Christian Eucharist, with its memory of the Cross, Passover is a feast of joy which carries pain within the festivities.

As a Christian community, it is important that we recognise our Jewish ancestry, that we treat with respect and with care the traditions that are part of our inheritance, and that where we can, we use them to grow closer to our brothers and sisters. So our marking of Holy Week begins with that first feast of liberation, as we share in a Passover meal. We will share as a family of all ages in the traditional foods, hear the traditional stories and explanations, and play the traditional games.

The climax of Holy Week will be our great celebration of the Resurrection, sharing together in the feast that God provides for us, but also, for those who are coming to the dawn service in the breaking of our Lenten fast (literally breakfast) after the service.

I do hope that you will join us, and that the season of Easter and its associated feasting will be for you a time of liberation and new life..

Alleluia! Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us

so let us keep the feast. Alleluia!

Justine

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

If you are on the Electoral Roll of St Mary's (Anglican-speak for our official membership list) you will be eligible to vote during the Annual Meeting itself, which takes place in the Church at 11 am on Sunday, 23 April.

The minutes of last year's Annual Meeting, this year's Annual Report and Financial statement from the PCC, and the Agenda for this year's Meeting, will all be available in good time, from Sunday, 9 April at the latest. Among the business of the Meeting is the election of Churchwardens and the PCC for the coming year. If you are considering standing for election in any of these capacities, then once again you need to be on the Electoral Roll, and the relevant forms will be available in plenty of time, from Sunday, 9 April if not before. If there have been no applications for postal votes, the PCC will be declared during the Annual Meeting and commissioned at the 9.30 am service on Sunday, 30 April.

However, you may want to take part in this year’s elections, but are not able to attend the meeting itself. In that case you can apply beforehand for a postal vote. Application forms for these will also be available in plenty of time. Once again the system will then spring into operation. It works like this:

Return your application form to Pat Kingsbury or to Pam or Ian Akhurst before the Annual Meeting. Should an election be necessary, a voting paper will be got to you by the late evening of Tuesday, 25 April. You then have up to 12 days in which to think, pray, vote, fold your paper and return it to The Rectory. Papers must be returned there sometime during the week from Saturday 6 to Saturday 13 May, and they will be stored safely and unopened as they arrive, together with the papers filled out during the Meeting itself.

Voting papers will be counted on Sunday or Monday, 14 or 15 May, by people who have not been candidates in any of the elections. All candidates will be notified of the result that same day, and the new PCC will be announced and commissioned during the 9.30 Eucharist on Sunday, 21 May.

The first meeting of our new PCC will be on Wednesday, 24 May.

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Sketch of a Suburban Parish

Often called “The Church in the Park”, St Mary’s Church sits on the edge of the area’s best used green spaces, and its beauty contributes to its well-deserved reputation as one of the neighbourhood’s treasures. This church’s role as the parish church for the 98,000 people living within its geographical boundary may over past years have received less publicity. So - a few basic facts.

Of all the people at any Sunday service, about half will live within the parish, and so (obviously!) half come from outside. This includes members of the choir, the bellringers, the flower arrangers and children in the Sunday School - though most of these have close and long-standing connections with St’s and the neighbourhood.

St Mary’s fulfils its traditional role in family events - baptisms, weddings and funerals - as part of its important service in the parish community. Average numbers over the past three years were: baptisms - 40, weddings - 20, funerals - 15. The national rules dictate that at least one of the wedding couple should live in the parish or be a regular worshipper at the church.

St Mary’s clergy and congregation are increasingly involved in the life of at least four schools in the parish and the rector is traditionally a trustee of St’s Court.

Twentieth and twenty-first century life with is many choices and possibilities, including travel, means that the parish system as it was set up centuries ago seems less significant to us now. Nevertheless, the Church of England is one of the few organisations which requires its representatives (rectors and vicars) to live within their parish and sets out the parish churches’ clearly defined responsibilities to the people of the parish. A baptism, a wedding or a death in the family is of enormous importance to the people concerned. So, as we are always hearing from writers and broadcasters, is the need for twentieth century humankind to recapture the sense of community in the place where they live. Is this not where the parish system came in in the first place?

Pat Kingsbury

Easter Flowers

Sunday 16 April

So many people enjoyed arranging a basket for the Harvest Thanksgiving and did such lovely arrangements that we thought we would repeat the idea for Easter.

The idea is that you take one of our many baskets, of varying sizes, and makearrangement at home preferably using greenery and spring flowers from your garden or the local florist. These baskets will be used to decorate the window sills in the St Nicholas Chapel and afterwards given to those who are sick or house bound.

Please see me in church after the services on any Sunday from now until Sunday 9th April to choose a basket, or ring me on 8669 3220 so I can deliver one to you.

If you have a basket of your own that you would like to use (please make sure it is lined with plastic!) please let me know so that I can keep track of numbers.

All finished baskets should be returned to church between 10.00 am and 12.00 noon on Saturday 15 April (if you are unable to get to church we can collect your basket)

So many 'non flower arrangers' made lovely arrangements at Harvest Thanksgiving so why not try your hand at a small arrangement.

Sue Ardley

Would you mind repeating that?

In last month’s magazine there was a short article on George Herbert. It mentions some of the hymns he wrote and lists a few of the favourites. Listed in this month’s commemorations is Christina Rossetti, a prolific poet, amongst whose works the best known are probably Goblin Market and In the Bleak Midwinter. The latter was written in 1872 in response to a request from a magazine called “Scribner’s Monthly” for a Christmas poem. It was set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906 and became a favourite carol for many. (Harold Darke’s setting of 1911 was made famous by the choir of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge) This all set me thinking about hymns.

We each have our favourites or ones that mean something special to us but we Anglicans are known for happily singing a good tune, never mind the words. How often do we really consider what we’re singing? Do the words always make sense?

We sing, “Be thou my vision..” but what do we make of the line - “Be all else but naught to me save that thou art.” Explain! And while you’re deciphering that one, what about, “So take and use thy work! Amend what flaws may lurk, What strain o’ the stuff, What warpings past the aim!” from my school hymn book?

It’s hardly surprising youngsters mishear and misunderstand. When I was teaching, among the children’s favourites was “the motor-bike hymn” - it contains the line “Sunbeams scorching all the day” - and “God is walking his porpoise out”. You can see the problem.

We do occasionally sing some rather inappropriate lines too. “Saintly maiden, godly matron,” we sing lustily at All Saints tide and see people looking around them, presumably in an attempt to spot one! “Praise to the Lord….. When tempests their warfare are waging…. The elements madly around thee are raging..” didn’t sound quite right at a time when Hurricane Katrina was lashing the Louisiana shores. Nor can I identify with, “God who created me, Nimble and light of limb..” Not alone there, I suspect.

And how about these rousing lines from my school book:

“Gather you, gather you, hounds of hell,

Famine and plague and war,

Idleness, bigotry, cant and misrule,

Gather and fall in the snare!

Hireling and Mammonite, bigot and knave

Crawl to the battlefield, sneak to your grave,

In the day of the Lord….”

What a turn-off!

Then there’s the starred verses. The idea is that they can be omitted without the sense of the hymn being changed. Some could obviously do with a few more stars. A hymn called “Glory to the first-begotten” has 15 verses with just three starred. “Rejoice ye pure in heart” has 11 verses and no stars, and “Jesu, the very thought of thee” has no stars among its 12 verses. Take a deep breath if you come across any of those.

I finish with another delight from my school hymn book -

“A brighter Hellas rears its mountains

From waves serene and far;

A new Penëus rolls his fountains

Against the morning star,

Where fairer Tempès bloom, there sleep

Young Cyclads on a sunnier deep.”

Oh, well, just give us a good tune and we’ll sing it!

Jean Kimber

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Reflections on our “Year of Africa”

As I write this, Fairtrade Fortnight is beginning and we are looking forward to a coffee morning, where the Third World growers of our coffee and tea will all have received a fair price for their labours. Some will be from countries in Africa, such as Malawi (sugar), Tanzania and Uganda (tea) and the Cameroon (coffee). So I wondered whether our Year of Africa would have any lasting effects on our parish life.

Perhaps the feast at the Harvest Supper will serve as a reminder of Africa’s vastness, the diversity of its regions, their foods and cuisine. Maybe you recall from the quiz that there are 53 countries in Africa, with vastly differing social conditions, life expectancy and wealth per head. For most of us, however, I expect the enduring memory will be that of the West African drummers and dancers inside the church.

Can we build on what we did last year?

To begin with, I expect that we now respond differently to African events - recent news stories such as John Kithongo’s attempts to challenge corrupt Kenyan politicians or the good news of the continent’s first woman president, elected in Liberia. Maybe we listen with a fresh ear to the opinions of our fellow Anglicans in Africa. Hopefully, our focus on Africa will encourage us to engage more fully with our link diocese of Central Zimbabwe (if nothing else, we now know that Gweru is its principal city!).

But what about a wider response? What about a “Year of … ” somewhere else? China and Japan, perhaps, both of which have a hidden Christian tradition and are currently of huge importance on the world stage? There are other regions too – such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, for example – where many of our charities, such as Christian Aid, are very active. And, of course, the tsunami and its victims in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Pacific Rim were very much in our thoughts at the time that we were focusing on Africa.

Talking of fair trade, you cannot trade fairly at the supermarket in, say, coffee and bananas without remembering the countries of Central and South America (and the Caribbean). These areas were in the Christian spotlight in the 1980s, with their liberation struggles and economic problems, but we do not speak so much of them now. And what about a year of the Middle East – a region for which we need to be praying and of whose troubles we could usefully acquire a deeper understanding?

There would be no harm, either, in having a Year of America or Europe – plenty of social/cultural issues and Christian traditions to explore there!

An alternative might be to focus on an issue, rather than a region, such as refugees, the elderly or children, or the Third World debt crisis.

Whatever happens, I hope our Year of Africa has been the start of something and not an end in itself - something that will indeed make a lasting contribution to our parish life.

Araba Taylor

Twenty Years Ago …...

There was clearly a musical thread running through the April magazine. The MU&OG were advertising a Barn Dance at the end of the month. (I doubt they’re as energetic now!)

Mary Tapp had written an appreciation of the home-produced concert in aid of the Children’s Society and the Children’s Leprosy Mission, the latter being part of the Bishop’s Lent Appeal. St Mary’s Windband, the Choir, Handbell ringers and Recorder players had all combined (not literally!) to provide a balanced and varied programme of music that appealed to young and old alike. She commented on how fortunate we were to have, not only the talent, but the folk prepared to take time and trouble to encourage the young people to use their talents to help the less fortunate. (At least three of those young people have gone on to become professional musicians and a further two are still very involved in the music world)

The Beddington Floral Society was holding a “basic principles of flower-arranging” evening in the Scout Hall. Those attending were asked to bring their own scissors. You’d probably be arrested for carrying an offensive weapon these days!

Betty Walker wrote about the ACTS Centre in Croydon. She listed the courses on offer and encouraged people to visit the Centre.

In “Twenty Years Ago” Stewart Kimber wrote that Churchwarden Ernie Gamble had called for volunteers to keep the churchyard tidy. Stewart added, “they’re still needed - see me!” (Twenty/forty years on - see Pat Kingsbury!!)

There was a reproduced article from the Bishop of Woolwich inspired by the Archbishop’s Commission on Urban Priority Areas and Kathleen Chilcott wrote about Thinking Day, when the Guides and Brownies from other lands are remembered.

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PCC Notes

On 20th January our meeting began with a vote of thanks to Pat and Ian for their splendid leadership during the interregnum; they in turn thanked all who had come forward to assist them during this time.

Derek Whiting, on behalf of the social committee, gave the PCC dates of forthcoming activities, including the Pancake Party, a Fair Trade coffee morning, the Ringers' Quiz and a Film Night.

Our churchwardens assured us that the heating (or, rather, lack of heating) problem was on their agenda and they were in contact with other churches to discover how they heated their churches and whether their systems were effective. In their report on interregnum matters IA and PK told us that most of the arrangements for Justine's licensing were now in place; all the members of the PCC were then given jobs to do to ensure the smooth running of the evening.

Our Treasurer, Hugh Crozier, presented the treasurer's report and distributed some graphs which showed that the gap between our Stewardship income and our Fairer Shares contribution had widened. It was agreed that it was vital to encourage more people to join the Stewardship scheme. The PCC also agreed to accept a budget for 2006 presented by the Finance committee.

The PCC was pleased to authorise the admission of Amanda Harris to the electoral roll and to welcome her back to the parish.

On 27th February the PCC was delighted to have in the chair our new priest, Justine.

We heard from the social committee that on 10th June, the day of our Albinoni concert, there will be lots of activities in Beddington Park, part of a series organised by the Borough in local parks. Plans are afoot to organise daytime activities in and around the church to coincide with those in the park. It was noted that, in response to our requests that something be done, there was some evidence of workmen's activity around the gateway to God's Acre (opposite our own lychgate). Ian Akhurst will ask Councillor Joan Hartfield for an update on progress.

Hugh Crozier, told the PCC that the present financial position is not good. Weekly giving has gone down while the cost of utilities has risen; our predicted income is not likely to meet even our Fairer Shares contribution. The ensuing discussion ranged from the importance to St. Mary's of Stewardship giving – vital - to the tax which could be reclaimed if cash collections were put in the envelopes provided. The PCC resolved to have a Stewardship campaign.

The churchwardens reported on the ongoing battle with our boiler. We were delighted to hear that the diocesan heating advisor has been booked to visit St. Mary's and that the diocesan organ expert will also be consulted to ensure the health and wellbeing or our organ vis-a-vis heating.

Justine told the PCC that the bishop is aiming to make this a Fair Trade diocese. In addition to our own plans for a Fair Trade coffee morning on 11th March she also invited PCC members to join her for a tasting evening at St. Matthew's Croydon on 14th March. (A PCC perk?)

In an effort to persuade more people to attend the APCM, the PCC agreed to a suggestion that this year the meeting should take place on a Sunday, after the 9.30 Eucharist. Childcare facilities would be provided. The APCM will be held on 23rd April.

In response to a request from Churches Together, the PCC agreed that a donation of £100 towards the cost of providing the booklet “It's Your Move” to all Year 6 children moving to secondary school should be given.

Pam Akhurst, Secretary to the PCC

Mothers’ Union and Open Group

It was my intention to write solely about “forthcoming attractions”, but as we had such an interesting meeting last week, I felt that it was worth mentioning.

Our speaker, Paul Goldsmith (the son of one of our members, Rosemary) gave a most illuminating talk about the history of the Carshalton Pantomime Company which regularly stages a performance every year after Christmas at the Secombe Centre. Charles Cryer, after whom the theatre in Carshalton is named, started the company and it gradually grew and grew until it became the flourishing company it is today. Paul told us how that once the current production finished its run there would be a short breathing space and then he and a few others would start writing the next one. This is a time-consuming task with various deadlines rearing their ugly heads along the way, until finally by September or October it is finished and rehearsals can begin. Paul was accompanied by the wardrobe mistress of the company who had brought with her a comprehensive selection of costumes about which she spoke and it seems she makes them all! This left us wondering if she ever had another life apart from pantomime! But she assured us that she did.

Now on to April. As usual we have two meetings this month: one serious, the other more frivolous. On Thursday, 6 April at 7.30 pm we have our annual ‘Lent Meditation’ led for us as usual by Jenifer Davison, our Reader. This takes the form of specially selected readings - prose, poetry and, of course, prayer. If you feel like escaping from life’s hurly-burly for a while, then please come and join us; you will find a warm welcome and an evening of calm delight.

On Thursday, 20 April at 7.30 pm we are repeating our popular “Taste & Tell” evening. This simply means that each member brings samples of her favourite recipe for us to taste and also a written recipe of the same to be sold for 10p each. There will also be a “Bring & Buy” stall and a raffle. So, if you feel like titillating your taste buds do come along - I feel sure that there will be something to your liking. Bon Appetit!

Mary Tapp

Can we break the flying habit?

For thousands of years men tried to fly and failed. “If God had intended us to fly, he’d have given us wings,” said the cynics. Then suddenly it happened – the aeroplane was invented. Now taking to the sky is possible for millions and aircraft emissions have become a major eco-worry. The gases are released high up in the atmosphere where they do more damage than they would on the ground. The proliferation of low-cost airlines operating more and more routes only increases the temptation. According to Friends of the Earth, aviation is now the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions and UK passenger numbers are expected to rise to 500 million by 2030.

So what do we do about this particular addiction? Just say no? Very difficult. Travel less? Maybe. Until aviation fuel becomes scarce and expensive, or alternative means of powering aircraft become available, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the harm done. The price of an airline ticket could be related to environmental costs by increasing tax on aviation fuel and/or adding VAT to ticket prices, but even then the cost of a ticket may rise little in real terms.

All short-haul flights could be replaced by high-speed rail and boat services. Carbon emissions trading, another option already in limited use, is the system whereby industries that can’t reduce their own carbon-dioxide emissions buy permits from those industries which are able to do so. But campaigners say that this scheme dodges the issue and is ethically flawed.

From an ethical standpoint, it is worth remembering that tourism is a vital source of income for developing countries and the aircraft industry can now create more fuel-efficient planes

On a small scale, there are other things we can do. Instead of using planes like buses, we could take one flight a year, say environmental campaigners. Take fewer trips but stay longer. Future Forests (www.futureforests.com) estimates that a return trip to New York emits 1.23 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which can be cancelled out by buying two trees (they absorb the gas). But wouldn’t that, too, be dodging the issue?

Chocolate at Easter

Chocolate.Just a mention of the word can trigger off all kinds of emotions:craving, greed, passion.Few foods have the ability to get such a hold on people.As you buy your Easter eggs and bunnies and whatever else this month, here are some of the facts of chocolate:

Where does chocolate come from?
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma Cacao.The Greek word ‘theobroma’ means literally ‘food of the gods’.The Cacao Tree is found in Latin America, where temperatures are between 25 and 28 degrees.

Who first discovered it?
The Aztecs.The cacao beans were used to prepare a hot, frothy beverage with stimulant and restorative properties, something like hot chocolate.

Who was (probably) the first chocoholic?
The Emperor Montezuma.He drank 50 goblets a day of the frothy drink.

Who used chocolate as currency?
The Aztecs.100 cacao beans would buy a slave; 12 cacao beans bought the services of a courtesan, etc.

When did chocolate as we know it today begin?
Surprisingly, not until 1879.That year Rodolphe Lindt had the inspired idea of triglyceride cocoa butter.The cocoa butter in chocolate contains saturated fat, but a normal level of consumption doesn’t have any bad effects.

At what point does a chocolate lover become a chocoholic?
It is generally considered to be when a person feels impelled to consume 12 or more 60 gram bars of chocolate per week.Chocolate contains its own cannabinoid (a chemical that prolongs pleasurable sensations) and when you eat chocolate, there is an increased blood flow in areas of the brain which are also activated by addictive drugs such as cocaine.

But scientists agree that occasional over-indulging will cause no long-term problems… except perhaps around your waistline!

Get the best from your chocolate:

- Keep your chocolate cool (16–18 degrees centigrade) and in a dry, airtight place.

- Never put your chocolate in the fridge (if you already have, let it warm to room temperature for a couple of hours before you eat it).

- Bring out the full flavour of chocolate by drinking water with it.

- If you are drinking tea or coffee, don’t bother with expensive chocolates – you won’t be able to appreciate them properly!

Daily prayer topics in April

Sat 1 Christian family life

Sun 2 That we may triumph over evil and do good

Mon 3 All missionary societies

Tue 4 Nations emerging from tyranny

Wed 5 All who have been denied live and deprived of well-being

Thu 6 Give thanks for the Passion and Cross of our Lord

Fri 7 All being persecuted for their beliefs

Sat 8 Loved ones who have entered into eternal life

Sun 9 For the faithful observance of Holy Week

Mon 10 A closer walk with our Lord

Tue 11 A prayerful approach to the joy of Easter

Wed 12 Thanksgiving for all who give their lives to save others

Thu 13 Thanksgiving for the Sacrament of our Lord’s Body and Blood

Fri 14 Peace in the Holy Land and among all nations and peoples

Sat 15 That we may offer our love and our lives to Christ

Sun 16 Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Mon 17 Alleluia to our God who has broken the power of death

Tue 18 Alleluia to our Lord who has won for us life eternal

Wed 19 St Elpherge’s Church on their Patronal Festival

Thu 20 That the Good News may be proclaimed throughout the world

Fri 21 For all who seek to lead others to the Risen Lord

Sat 22 That we may rejoice in the power of the Risen Lord

Sun 23 For unity in the church and in the world

Mon 24 The people and the church in England

Tue 25 Thanksgiving for the Gospel of Saint Mark

Wed 26 For all who have been taken hostage

Thu 27 For Christian poets who inspire us with their works

Fri 28 The people of the South Pacific

Sat 29 Our link diocese in Zimbabwe - Manicaland and Matabeleland

Sun 30 Rejoice in the presence of our Lord and in the glory of his resurrection

Top of the Document

What’s on in April?

Holy Week Services

Saints and Commemorations in April

Readings for Sundays and Festivals in April

Thinking of you

From the Registers

Funerals

A Feast of Liberation

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Sketch of a Suburban Parish

Easter Flowers

Would you mind repeating that?

Reflections on our “Year of Africa”

Your starter for 10 ….

Stratford upon Avon: where there’s a whole lot of

Shakin’ goin’ on ….

The National Christian Resources Exhibition

Twenty Years Ago …...

PCC Notes

The Cowboy's Ten Commandments

“Location, Location, Location”

Mothers’ Union and Open Group

Can we break the flying habit?

Chocolate at Easter

Daily prayer topics in April