What’s on in June?
Thu	1	MU&OG. The Centre A talk by Allan Palmer on ‘Music about Churches’	7.30 pm
Sat	3	‘IGNITE’ Youth Service at St John’s, Sylvan Road, Upper Norwood	5.00 pm
SUN	4	PENTECOST. Whit Sunday Meeting of Servers in church	11.00 am
Wed	7	St Mary’s Guild Tea Party at St Mary’s Court - in the garden weather permitting!	2.30 pm
Sat	10	London Borough of Sutton’s ‘Take Part, Take Pride’ event in Beddington Park. Church open 10 am to 1.30 pm. Churchyard ‘tidy-up’ by members of the congregation during the afternoon Albinoni String Orchestra Concert	7.30 pm
Sun	11	TRINITY SUNDAY Guides and Brownies at 9.30 am Eucharist Baptisms ‘Picnic in the Park’ with Churches Together in Beddington and Wallington. The Paddock	11.15 am Midday
Thu	15	MU&OG. Topic to be arranged	7.30 pm
Fri	16	‘Travelling Trends’ Fashion Show at St Elpheges - raising money for Beddington District Guiding	7.00 pm
SUN	18	TRINITY 1
Wed	21	MU Corporate Eucharist Friends of Beddington & Grange Parks Quiz Night	10.00 am 7.00 pm
Sat	24	Progressive Supper (see weekly notices for more info.)
SUN	25	TRINITY 2 Churches Together in Beddington and Wallington Music Festival at St Elphege’s (No Evensong at St Mary’s)	7.00 pm

What’s on in July?
Sat	1	May Queens’ Service Charity Concert in aid of The Royal Marsden Hospital	1.00 pm 7.30 pm
SUN	2	TRINITY 3 ‘Families At St Mary’s’ Fun Day and BBQ. The Paddock	2.-5.00 pm
Wed	5	Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way St Mary’s Guild meeting. ‘What’s In A Name?’ - talk by Pat Kingsbury	11.00 am 2.30 pm
Thu	6	MU&OG. Dining Out Evening	7.30 pm
SUN	9	TRINITY 4
Sat	15	St Swithun
SUN	16	TRINITY 5 SMYLE’s ‘Duck Day’	11.30-3.00
Sat	22	Mary Magdalene
SUN	23	TRINITY 6 (Last Choral Evensong before our choir’s summer break)
SUN	30	TRINITY 7

Saints, Commemorations and Feast Days

June

Thu 1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c165

Sat 3 Martyrs of Uganda, 1885-7 and 1977

Mon 5 Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, Bishop, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754

Thu 8 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath & Wells, Nonjuror, Hymn Writer, 1711

Fri 9 Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597

Mon 12 BARNABAS THE APOSTLE

Tue 22 Alban, first Martyr of Britain, c250

Fri 23 Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c678

Sat 24 BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Wed 28 Irenaus, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher, c200

Thu 29 PETER and PAUL, APOSTLES

July

Sat 1 Henry, John and Henry Venn the Younger, Priests, Evangelical

Divines, 1797, 1813 and 1873

Mon 3 THOMAS THE APOSTLE

Thu 6 Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester,

Reformation Martyrs, 1535

Tue 11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Father of

Monasticism, c550

Fri 14 John Keble, Priest, Tractarian, Poet, 1866

Sat 15 Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c862

Bonaventure, Friar, Bishop, Teacher, 1274

Tue 18 Elizabeth Ferard, first deaconess of the Church of England,

Founder of the Community of St Andrew, 1883

Wed 19 Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, and his sister Macrina, Deaconess,

Teachers of the Faith, c394 and c379

Thu 20 Margaret of Antioch, Martyr, 4th Century

Bartolomé de las Casas, Apostle to the Indies, 1566

Sat 22 MARY MAGDALENE

Tue 25 JAMES THE APOSTLE

Wed 26 Anne and Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thu 27 Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher, 1901

Sat 29 Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Companions of our Lord

Mon 31 Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus, 1556

July

Sunday, 2 July

Trinity 3

Lamentations 3: 23-33

2 Corinthians 8: 7-15

Mark 5: 21-43

Sunday, 9 July

Trinity 4

Ezekiel 2: 1-5

2 Corinthians 12: 2-10

Mark 6: 1-13

Sunday, 16 July

Trinity 5

Amos 7: 7-15

Ephesians 1: 3-14

Mark 6: 14-29

Sunday, 23 July

Trinity 6

Jeremiah 23: 1-6

Ephesians 2: 11-22

Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56

Sunday, 30 July

Trinity 7

2 Kings 4: 42-44

Ephesians 3: 14-21

John 6: 1-21

July

Sunday 2 July

Canticles: Sumsion in G

Anthem: I Will Love Thee - Kalinikoff

Sunday 9 July

Canticles: Moore Fauxbordun No 2

Anthem: Seek Him the Seven Stars - Elgar

Sunday 16 July

Canticles: Howells in G

Anthem: My Eyes For Beauty Pine - Howells

Sunday 23 July

Canticles: Sumsion in A

Anthem: The Heavens Are Telling - Haydn

Choral Evensong will recommence on 3 September after our choir’s summer break. We wish them happy holidays.

Thinking of you

Every Sunday we pray for people living and working in two or three roads in the parish.

June

Sunday 4 June

Bristow Road, Collyer Avenue

Sunday 11 June

Bedlow Way, Nicholas Road

Sunday 18 June

Willoughby Avenue, Oakley Avenue

Sunday 25 June

Claydon Drive

July

Sunday 2 July

Mallinson Road, Meller Close,Derry Road

Sunday 9 July

Crispin Close, Crispin Crescent

Sunday 16 July

Harrington Close, Beddington Lane

Sunday 23 July

Therapia Lane, Elberon Avenue, Jessops Way

Sunday 30 July

Brookmead Road, Oakmead Road, Homemead Road

“How can I understand unless someone guides me?”

Later in this magazine is an article by Jean Kimber about the filming that took place at St Mary’s. It was an amazing day, a real insight into what goes on behind the scenes of the TV programmes that we watch every day. I was amazed at the sheer number of people involved, everyone with their own particular task, everyone part of a team. There was a lot of bustle and activity, and a lot of hanging about in the rain. It certainly wasn’t as glamorous as I had imagined. I’m really glad that I was a small part of it, and got the opportunity to watch what was going on.

It was also, unexpectedly, an opportunity to talk about God. We didn’t go looking for the opportunities, they just happened. I know I wasn’t the only one who was asked to explain things about Christianity, asked about my faith and what it means to me, or asked about the Bible and ways of beginning to read it. People were genuinely interested. They wanted to know, they wanted to have an opportunity to discuss their faith and their belief. They needed to have someone alongside them who wouldn’t laugh at them, who would treat them as a real human being and who could help in some small way. In our arguably post-Christian world it’s something that may happen to any of us in the most unlikely circumstances – a challenge and an opportunity for us all.

It made me reflect on a theme that runs through our readings between Easter and Pentecost – the need to have someone by our side as we make our journeys in faith. We began on Easter Day with the story of the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, talking to the frightened disciples, explaining to them the events of Holy Week, opening their eyes to a new way of being. Then there was the story of Philip talking to the Ethiopian, explaining to him what lay behind the words that he was reading, encouraging him, teaching him. And we have read about Peter in the home of Cornelius, again teaching, explaining, discussing.

It’s a story that’s common in our lives. We often need someone to explore things with, to discuss things with, a wise man or woman we can turn to. We need people around us to encourage us, to help us to see and to understand what hasn’t been clear before. Many of us can look back in our lives and point to the people who have been important for us in that way: parents, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, friends. And we may have been there for other people, helping them as they explore what God might mean for them.

It’s easy to forget that we need to keep on feeding ourselves, that our Christian development doesn’t stop when we’re confirmed. It’s only by continually looking after our faith-life that we can look after other people. As we get older, our need to have people by our side doesn’t diminish – we still need opportunities to learn and to explore. Part of that we do as we gather in church week by week, as we worship together, as we read and study the Bible together, teasing out what our faith might mean in our lives. But sometimes we need something a little more formal. Over the coming year, we will be running three short courses at St Mary’s with the aim of helping us explore our beliefs, nurturing our own faith and so being more able to accompany others. The courses will run in September, in Lent and in the summer, and each will last from 4 to 6 weeks. The courses will run in the evenings and during the day. In those sessions, we will reflect on our own experiences of life, sharing and learning from each other.

For those who would like to do something more academic, the diocese is offering a three term course in Biblical and Theological studies. This course is built on the academic pattern of Old and New Testament, Doctrine, Ethics and Liturgy and runs at Croydon Parish Church or Trinity House near London Bridge. If you want to know more details, talk to Linda Wood who is doing the course at the moment, or to me – I was on the first course and I’m teaching on this year’s course at Trinity House.

If all of that seems too daunting, please remember that I’m only a phone call away. If there is anything that you want to talk about, anything that’s confusing you or worrying you, then please grab me after church or call me. Please don’t think that you are taking up valuable time, or that your question is too trivial. Jenifer, our Reader, or Heather our Pastoral Assistant are also there to help too. Please talk to us, we’d love to accompany you on your journey.

Justine

SMYLE

Duck Day

Sunday, 16 July 11.30am to 3.00pm

SMYLE wants to invite you to write

A limerick, cheery and bright

A duck must be in it,

Could even begin it,

Just let your ideas take flight!

OK, we admit it wasn’t that good. Think you could do better? Well here’s your chance. As part of our Duck Day, we’re holding a limerick competition. From now until July 9th, we want you to write as many 5-lined verses on ducks as you can think of. You are welcome to submit more than one, at 50p per entry. Winner will receive a great prize on Duck Day.

We’re also holding a short story competition. As with the limericks, stories should have at least one duck/duckling in them, but feel free to be as imaginative as you like. Entries are 50p each, and should also be in by the 9th.

Please clearly mark your entries ‘Limerick/Story Competition’ and place in box under tower, or send to the Rectory. Happy Writing!!!

Other fun attractions on our Duck Day (which, we assure you, will cause no harm to any ducks!) will include:

- A sponsored duck race on the Wandle.

- Decorated Hat Competition

- Whack-a-Duck and other side-show games, including guessing games

- Drinks stall (non-alcoholic)

So come, bring your picnic lunch, and join in the fun

And just to remind you, the proceeds from the day will go to our chosen charity of the year, Bag Books. This charity writes and produces multi-sensory story books for children with severe learning difficulties.

Please help SMYLE to put a smile on the face of a child.

MU Festival Services

DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK

Wednesday, 17 May 2006

On Wednesday, 17 May, our MU Banner had a trip out to Southwark Cathedral. Some clever person had made a strong denim bag in which to carry the three parts of the dissembled banner. The rather unusual shape of the elongated ‘shoulder bag’ aroused some curiosity as I sat on the platform at Wallington Station, and I began to wonder if the anti-terrorist squad would be sent for to investigate the suspicious looking baggage! The man sitting next to me on the bench could contain his curiosity no longer, “That’s an interesting looking shape” he said. I explained that I was a member of the Mothers’ Union and that the ‘shape’ contained the MU Banner which I was taking to the Cathedral. A young woman standing on the other side of him grinned widely, she too was probably wondering what such a shape could be.

Having got safely to the Cathedral without causing injury to fellow travellers with pole ends, I made my way to the South Transept in order to re-assemble the banner. Two kind MU members who had already got their banners together turned to help and as soon as ‘St Mary the Virgin Beddington’ was revealed, the face of one of the ladies lit up, “Oh”, she said, “St Mary’s. I was baptised, confirmed and married there, and my husband was in the choir as a boy in about 1938.” She now lives in Coulsdon and said that it was quite a time before she and her husband were weaned away from St Mary’s.

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people both in and outside the parish have fond memories of St Mary’s. We have such a responsibility to maintain this beautiful church, not only as an historic gem, but a place where people can feel welcome and at home, a place where the love of God can always be found.

Anyway, back to the MU and the Morning Service at the Cathedral, which was well attended and banners from all over the Diocese were processed in at the beginning. The trouble with being a banner carrier is that you miss seeing this riot of colour from such a variety of banners, from so many parishes still maintaining a branch of the Mothers’ Union, supporting and upholding Christian family life. The theme of the service was “Answering God’s Call”. The MU suffers the same problems as all church organisations in that it is difficult to find people to lead, and even to find new members. We all live such busy lives.

The Diocesan Chaplain, Revd Graham Paddick, gave the address, which was both entertaining and inspiring, and at the end of the service we each had a candle which was lit from the Paschal Candle, representing our commitment to go out into the world carrying the light and love of Christ to all. Inside our service sheets we each received a copy of the following prayer to take away with us and to use:

You Lord are our light.

You dwell amongst us,

enlarging our vision,

stretching our horizons,

and calling us to new possibilities.

Carry us beyond the boundaries

of our small dreams.

Help us to respond to your call,

to join in your dance of life

and to share your light and peace

wherever there is darkness

in the world.

AMEN

Jenifer Davision

MU Member

Top of the Document

An Amazing Day

“We’ve got a film company coming to make a TV programme at the church,” said Justine, “and they want to use the tower. I think we need a ringer present.” Right.

The technical crew came for a recce in April and Chris Kimber went to meet them. They were rapt with the church and surrounds (isn’t everyone?) and they went off to sort the details.

The filming date was set for May 17, starting at midday. Justine and I met with the assistant location manager and then it all began to happen. Three or four pantechnicons arrived and disgorged what looked like miles of cable, enough lights to rival Blackpool, big furry microphones, bags of radios, clothes and clutches of huge umbrellas (good thinking, as it turned out).

The props crew arrived with armfuls of flowers with which they decorated the lychgate and two huge pedestals beside the west door. Interestingly they had all been made by young men! (Ideas for recruitment to your team, Sue?)

The aim of the day was to film scenes for a BBC production of a “political/comedy/drama” (their description), called, I believe, “The Amazing Mrs Pritchard” and starring Jane Horrocks in the title role. Briefly, her daughter gets jilted by the groom on her wedding day. The Best Man has the unenviable task of giving her the news under the lychgate. The groom later has a fit of conscience and, as night falls, decides to throw himself off the tower! I won’t spoil it by telling you what happens next………

What I will tell you is that the Best Man spent most of the afternoon rushing down the church path waving a mobile to impart the bad news to Jane Horrocks. The director didn’t seem to like any of the “takes” and the poor chap was almost on his knees by the time they “got it in the can”. Of course, the weather didn’t help. It kept pouring down and halting proceedings. By six o’clock they’d had enough and went away for a meal. Justine and I locked up and walked over to the Rectory for a “sit on a chair with a cushion”, as she put it. Half-an-hour later, my phone rang - they wanted to get back in. I obliged - and then the fun began.

Authentic-looking police cars, an ambulance and a fire engine all turned up. Tough-looking “policemen” in their glo-jackets strolled around the church admiring the art-work and enquiring about the strings concert. It was bizarre. A cherry-picker lorry turned up and, after a serious struggle, manoeuvred itself into Carew Manor. The lights were then craned up to a death-defying height. Far below in the churchyard and inside the church, other huge lamps, that wouldn’t look out of place in a lighthouse, were set up. Cables like giant snakes wound all round the church and in and out of doors and windows. What looked like a miniature railway crossed in front of the west door and strange pieces of equipment rode up and down it. There were dozens of people everywhere, each with their very specific jobs. It was fascinating to watch.

During the afternoon I’d realised the floodlighting would come on just as it wasn’t needed! I won’t bore you with all the efforts to prevent it, sufficient to say, that when those efforts proved in vain and the unwanted lights did appear, Chris was there to right the wrong! He and Tamasine had arrived to cover the late shift and kindly fetched a much-needed take-away.

When the electrician had arrived in the morning, I’d taken him up the tower so that he could see where to plug in his cables for the top-of-the-tower scene. As he put it, he was built on the lines of Winnie-the-Pooh and on reaching the top part of the staircase, felt he might suffer the same fate and get stuck! However, he panted and puffed his way safely up and down and later I took the stuntman and the stunt co-ordinator up the same route. As was to be expected, they were somewhat fitter!

With the darkness, came more heavy rain. The Director and his minions seated themselves inside the church and everyone watched the actions on monitors. I detected the first signs of rising concern as time ticked inexorably by. They needed to be finished by midnight or else it meant another day’s pay! The stuntman (playing the part of the groom) had been dressed in his morning suit since about half past seven, so by half past eleven he was probably ready to throw himself off the tower out of sheer boredom. The actors said they got used to all the waiting around; some chatted, some wandered round the church (one even read a Bible!) and some flipped through magazines. Just after 11.30, the stuntman and the co-ordinator climbed up the tower, attached the harness and there he sat, for the next half hour, dangling over the top of the tower, 80 feet or so above the ground. Fortunately the rain had ceased because an umbrella would have been out of the question up there - the wind was so strong, he’d have taken off like Mary Poppins!

Again, this scene took a while to get right. I’m not sure how many times the police car skidded up the church path and the paramedics and firemen scuttled around like ants. Eventually the director was satisfied and they all packed up. We had to wait till every vestige was gone from the church before we could lock up. The props lads brought us some of the leftover flowers. The big one wouldn’t go in my car so Chris took it and I got a modest bunch of carnations and lilies. Chris and I eventually left the church about twenty to one.

One of the things that amazed me the most was how polite and considerate everyone was. I’d expected a lot of “luvvies” who swanned around importantly but they couldn’t have been more different. They asked permission for absolutely everything from drinking a cup of coffee in the vestry to sitting in a pew! They were friendly and kept thanking us for every tiny bit of help. I’m grateful also for Justine’s company from time to time (as well as Chris and Tamasine’s) and I hope Justine’s forgiven me for plunging her into semi-darkness as she was saying Evening Prayer - well they needed the lights off in the church and I couldn’t find the “Carew Chapel” button!

Do look out for this “Kudos” production to be screened on the BBC sometime after September. I hope it turns out well. It was certainly an amazing day.

Jean Kimber

Ringing Around and About

In the past, St Mary’s ringers have held an annual coach outing. Many of you have joined us on such occasions. Unfortunately, the rising costs of hiring a coach, together with reduction of coach drivers hours, were making such a venture prohibitively expensive and it was decided we couldn’t justify such an Outing this year.

However, ringing at other towers is good experience, so as we had some new recruits, we thought we’d take them on a little trip round a few local towers. All but two of our band were able to come along and I invited the two new members from St Mary’s congregation to write their views on the day. The following contribution is the work of Ian Atkins and Rob Churchyard.

This year the tower outing was held on Saturday 20th May. There was a wonderful turn out, with 15 members of the St Mary’s Beddington tower and two guest helpers. We all had a great time. It was nice that a number of members’ families also joined us on our day out and supported the band.

We started at the first tower at 9.45pm at Merstham, with its ground-floor ring of eight bells. Because our members are at very differing stages of ability, we were able to do a variety of ringing. The newer, less-experienced members were helped by the more advanced ringers with the easier type of ringing called “call changes”. This is where someone calls the moves out and we try to keep up; all very complicated but thoroughly enjoyable! With such a happy, fun group as we have in our tower, when a mistake is made (and they are!) everyone helps, pointing out where you should be - all with very little fuss.

We had about 45 minutes at the first tower, then moved on to the second at Nutfield. Members of the tower were there to greet us (and show us the ropes!) and after some more fun at this tower on the six bells, we headed to Bletchingley, another lovely church in a lovely village setting. Here we rang on 10 bells, very similar to ours, only conveniently on the ground floor. At 12.45pm it was time for lunch at “The Star” at Lingfield. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fayre and to our delight the food arrived very quickly, meaning there was time for pudding! The portions were very generous, and with tea and coffee to finish, very agreeable.

We didn’t have far to go to the next tower - just across the road, past some lovely old houses and into the churchyard. This church was in a wonderful setting in gorgeously manicured grounds. Again, we were met on arrival, and in the small rope chamber at the base of the tower we were able to ring several different methods as well as call changes. As the ringing room was on the smallish size, if you weren’t ringing you could look around the church and at the amazing statues dating back to the mid 14th century.

Our last tower was St Mary’s at Caterham-on-the-Hill. We arrived at 3.45pm and some of our group didn’t like the ladder affair to get up to the tower, but it was worth the climb and at the top we found a note welcoming us to the tower, and the walls were festooned with pictures and jokes, so those not ringing could pass their time reading the walls. St’s is a nice little church and the eight bells sounded wonderful. We left this final tower at 4.30pm and set off for home talking about our great day out.

Thank you to Jean Kimber for organizing the very ‘appealing’ outing!

Friends of Beddington and Grange Parks

Quiz Night

Wednesday, 21 June, 7pm at The Grange, Beddington Park

Fish & Chip Supper ….….. Bar Available

Teams of 1-6 players : Entry £2 per person, payable on the night

To register your team and book your supper call 020 8286 2640

Black Theology - What is it?

In September 2005 I attended a seminar on ‘Handling the Inclusive Ministry Report’. This Report was concerned that the number of black and other ethnic minorities in ministry was very small compared with their numbers in our congregations. One of the ways in which it was recommended that parishes address this problem was by building on black theology. At a subsequent PCC meeting we realised that we didn’t know what black theology was! And so on Tuesday, 7 March, off I went to Trinity House to attend a course on this subject. The course leader was Garnet Parris who is a director on this subject at Birmingham University.

It all began in the USA in the 1960s with the Civil Rights Movement led by people such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Stokely Carmichael. Black Liberation Theology (which is its full title) was having its own struggles out of which arose the National Coalition of Black Churches. They asked themselves, “What have we been saying?” “What is the relevance of Black Churches in all this?” and “How can we respond to what is going on?”, and so the first statement of Black Theology was that it had to speak to black experience. The problems could not be addressed by traditional theology due to the massive unrest in black communities and their fight for the right to vote. The Churches began asking “What is the Gospel saying to black people?” - to those living in ghettos and other deprived situations. Back clergy felt they had to relate to the black experience.

The 1960s was awash with liberation theologies. James Cone, a very strong political theologian has written books on Black Theology. In South Africa similar things were taking place. The first black theologians stuck to the Bible, whereas others saw things from a cultural aspect. The Bible stories such as Exodus gave hope when seen through the prism of black experience. So the churches have become a source of liberation, building on their own faith traditions. Cultural sources, such as art, music and dance, are important. Black Theology uses African thought, black resources and aspects of black life and culture, including African traditional religions. There is a large growth in African Initiated Churches which are taking some things out of African religions, such as ancestor worship. For them, this world and the next has no great separation and they see their ancestors affecting things in this life. The question for the churches is “How can these things be accommodated?” But this is not a movement detached from the scriptures, they still want to hold on to the Bible.

I came away from the course having learned something of what Black Theology is all about. The miracle of the Bible is that it speaks to all peoples, of all races and cultures, bringing redemption, hope and strength in all the circumstances of our lives. Jesus Christ came to set us free from the power of sin and death. Our understanding of what that means will of course be seen through the prism of our own life experiences, but may this understanding of how God works in our lives - as individuals, as people of a certain race or culture - never divide us, for we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, making the same spiritual journey to our Lord and God. Our Lord’s commandment is that we should be one, even as He and the Father are One. May we all be given the grace to see and understand things from the other person’s point of view, and love one another even as our Lord loves us.

Jenifer Davison

Top of the Document

St Mary’s Court Vacancies

St Mary’s Court, or to give it its formal title, ‘The Hospital of St Mary and Hamilton Almshouses’, is a complex of 15 self-contained flats for Residents (plus one for a Warden) situated in Bute Road. In order to qualify for occupancy of one of the flats, for which a modest maintenance charge is made, residents must be aged 60 or over, members of the Church of England and have lived in the ‘ancient parish of Beddington’, or be on the Electoral Roll of one of its present-day parishes, for the previous five years. The parishes in question are St Mary’s, Beddington; Holy Trinity, Wallington; St Michael’s, South Beddington, and All Saints’, Hackbridge. Since St Mary’s Court is designated as an Almshouse and not a Nursing or Care Home, residents are required to cater for their own needs, and the assistance of the Warden is meant for emergencies only.

Over the past few months, for a variety of reasons - moving nearer to family or into residential care or, sadly, through death - a number of flats have become vacant. Recent advertising has enabled two flats to be occupied, but others remain vacant.

The Trustees intend to advertise the vacant flats (by means of posters in each of the above-mentioned parish churches) at the end of June / beginning of July. They have set a closing date of 17th July, with interviews of would-be applicants on 29th July. If you are interested in applying for a flat, or would like to know more, do have a word with Justine Middlemiss (8647) or Diana Harries (8669 7011) who are St Mary’s Church representative Trustees.

There once was a young duck named Phil,

Who lived underneath an old mill.

With a feathery back,

He went ‘Quack, quack, quack!’

‘Til someone said ‘Shut your big bill!’

Easter Vestry and Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 11.00 am

This year, for the first time, the meetings were held after the Sunday morning service. This timing was welcomed by the congregation who found it more convenient than the usual weekday evening slot.

The Easter Vestry meeting saw the re-appointment of Pat Kingsbury and Ian Akhurst as our Churchwardens for the coming year.

The APCM received the usual reports from the Churchwardens and the Treasurer. Further reports were received from the Social Committee, Churchyard Committee, the Church Centre Committee, our Deanery Synod representative and Families at St Mary’s. All hard-working stalwarts were thanked for what they do.

The Centre Committee Chairman told us that since the present committee had remained largely unchanged since 1995, more hands in helping to keep the Centre managed and running smoothly would be welcome. Any offers?

Another plea was for more people to help on Bank Holidays and Sunday afternoons when the church is open - just an hour of your time is needed to meet and greet visitors.

Although ashes can still be accommodated in the current area, this will eventually run out of space. A Faculty has therefore been granted for a small new area in the churchyard to be established for the deposition of ashes. The area will be marked out with box bushes.

‘Families celebrated their third year this Easter. They saw their remit as being to bring families together to socialise and join in Christian fellowship. The help given by SMYLE was much appreciated and its members loved by children and families alike.

Voting for the 2006/7 Parochial Church Council had to be delayed to await the arrival of a number of postal votes. These votes have now been received and your PCC members for 2006/7 are: Justine Middlemiss (Priest-in-Charge) as Chairman, Ian Akhurst and Pat Kingsbury (Churchwardens), Jenifer Davison (Reader), Heather Cosgrove (Pastoral Auxilliary), Jean Kimber (Sutton Deanery Synod representative), Pam Akhurst (Secretary), Jake Adams, Carolyn Churchyard, Hugh Crozier, Harold Hore, Katherine Lawrence, Keith Lewis, Marion Martin, Chris Morgan, Margaret Treasurer, Derek Whiting and Kevin Winstone. A very warm welcome to Jake and Kevin who join the PCC for the first time.

Rules of the World Cup!
Just in case the ‘non’ football fans are in any doubt, here is the official List of Rules that apply during the imminent coverage of the World Cup:

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it won’t happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least two 6-packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, its only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7.             You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during half-time but only when the commercials are on, and only if the half-time score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8.             The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9.             Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that require my attendance because: a)   I will not go, b)   I will not go, and    c)   I will not go.

10.          But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11.          The daily World Cup Highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch?", the reply will be: "Refer to Rule 2 of this list".

12.          And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.

Thank you for your co-operation.

PS These rules apply equally to both male and female non-fans!

Inspired! Campaign to save historic churches

‘Inspired!’ is the name of a campaign launched by English Heritage a few weeks ago to save historic church buildings which, despite the continuing efforts of conservationists, are facing an uncertain future.

Many such churches across England are maintained by dedicated but ageing congregations, while the bill for needed repairs creeps steadily higher. The new campaign is designed to draw attention to the problem and to put forward an action plan to help secure a future for these precious buildings.

Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, says: “An incredible 45 per cent of England’s Grade 1 listed buildings are churches and every survey has shown that they are valued by the vast majority of people – non-believers and believers alike.” So why are they under threat?

“To get to the root of the problem, English Heritage has commissioned a ‘needs survey’ with the Church of England which will provide the most accurate figure so far for outstanding repairs to listed churches. We have also commissioned a map highlighting the areas with the most vulnerable places of worship.”

Having gained a clearer picture of the problem, English Heritage feels it will be able to use its grants budget more effectively. It will act, in partnership with Christian denominations and faith groups looking after historic buildings, to achieve several objectives. For example, it will demonstrate how pilot maintenance projects have helped congregations to look after their church. Advice and training will be offered to congregations to help them understand what is really special about their place of worship (so that making changes becomes easier).

Local authorities will be encouraged to become more engaged with churches over conservation matters. The campaign will also provide a toolkit for denominations to help them decide which churches can be adapted for new forms of worship and other uses. New posts will be sponsored to mentor congregations and help them apply for a grant, or to carry out new work.

English Heritage will present the results of its research to central and local government to make “a cast-iron case” for greater public funding.

Signs & Symbols in Church : Flowers

Have you ever visited a town for the first time, and been attracted by the really old church in the middle of it? You squeeze in through the huge old door and find a wonderful church – except there is something missing: there are no flowers.

Somehow their absence gives the church an empty, unused feeling. Often it means that the church you’ve just discovered is no longer used for worship, and is now in the good care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

So what is it about flowers that make such a difference? Flowers are more than just ‘living’ things. They bring colour, shape, scents and memories with them, and that’s without any ‘meanings’ being given to each variety, such as ‘remembrance’ for ‘rosemary’.

When we visit people we often take cut flowers with us as a gift. We use them at times of celebration as well as at times of illness and sorrow. They add the finishing touch to a dinner table, brighten up a dull corner and can attract attention to something near to where they are.

We use flowers to express our emotions, both in the choice of the flowers themselves and in the way they are arranged. Some speak of the informality of the country, while others are more sophisticated. Spiky flowers and sharp lines give a harshness, a crispness, perhaps a cleanness, while flowing shapes and pastel colours speak of gentleness and comfort. Yet others are used to tell visually a story or a sentiment that words alone struggle to express.

We know how lucky we are at St Mary’s to have such wonderful flower arrangements and people willing and inspired enough to present them. Maybe whilst you are out and about this summer you can have a look at the ways flowers are used in other churches. What do they add to the experience? How would or could you use flowers to express your feelings to God?

Have you started your limericks yet?

If you haven’t we’re willing to bet

That you’ll want to win prizes

Of all shapes and sizes,

Just get them in by the date that we’ve set!

Daily prayer topics

June

Thu 1 The Mothers’ Union & Open Group

Fri 2 The Happy Hands Group

Sat 3 The environment and how we care for our planet

Sun 4 Thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit

Mon 5 For a fairer and wiser use of the world’s resources

Tue 6 The Melanesian Brotherhood

Wed 7 Our local clergy fraternity

Thu 8 Evangelists and missionaries

Fri 9 Home carers, doctors and nurses

Sat 10 All visiting Beddington Park today and St Mary’s Church

Sun 11 Our Guides, Brownies and Rainbows

Mon 12 All who encourage and support others

Tue 13 The overcoming of world poverty and debt

Wed 14 All affected by HIV and Aids

Thu 15 Thanksgiving for the Holy Communion and for all spiritual writers

Fri 16 Those who suffer from loneliness or neglect

Sat 17 The Glastonbury Pilgrimage

Sun 18 Families at St Mary’s

Mon 19 The Church in India

Tue 20 The Diocesan Pastoral Committee meeting today

Wed 21 All planning courses and events for the summer holidays

Thu 22 The Methodist Conference beginning today

Fri 23 Ely Cathedral, Dean and Chapter

Sat 24 Thanksgiving for the life and witness of John the Baptist

Sun 25 Praise God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Mon 26 The Sunday School and Crèche

Tue 27 The Diocesan Ministry and Training Committee meeting today

Wed 28 Young People caught up in drug and alcohol addiction

Thu 29 Thanksgiving for the lives and witness of SS Peter and Paul

Fri 30 Our link diocese in Zimbabwe

July

Sat 1 Refugees and displaced persons

Sun 2 Our Young Families Fun Day

Mon 3 An increase in faith and trust in our Lord

Tue 4 The people of the USA and their Independence Day

Wed 5 The suffering people of Iraq, especially women and children

Thu 6 Families divided by separation and divorce

Fri 7 The General Synod Meeting 7-11 July

Sat 8 All who are severely handicapped and their carers

Sun 9 Children being baptised today and their families

Mon 10 The safety of all on holiday

Tue 11 All Benedictine Monastic Communities

Wed 12 The church’s mission and outreach

Thu 13 All who teach the faith and pass it on by example

Fri 14 Holiday clubs for children and their leaders

Sat 15 Winchester Cathedral, Dean and Chapter

Sun 16 Vocations to the religious life

Mon 17 An increase in those living holy and dedicated lives

Tue 18 Deaconesses and the Community of St Andrew

Wed 19 That we may be numbered with the saints

Thu 20 All who are imprisoned for their faith

Fri 21 All who care for the homeless and poverty-stricken

Sat 22 Prison Chaplains and Visitors

Sun 23 All bishops, priests and teachers of the faith

Mon 24 Counsellors and all who seek to guide and reconcile others

Tue 25 All peace keeping forces and those who seek to maintain order

Wed 26 All who work as Samaritans or in marriage guidance

Thu 27 Children of broken homes or homes where there is violence

Fri 28 Our local hospitals and nursing homes

Sat 29 Our Quiet Day at West Malling

Sun 30 That we may know in our lives the love of Christ

Mon 31 Bishop Ishmael and Central Zimbabwe

Albinoni String Orchestra

Charity Concert for The Royal Marsden Hospital

Fun Day and BBQ

The ‘Biggest BBQ in History!’

Parish Quiet Day

Quiz Night

Signs & Symbols in Church : Flowers