Wedding

Funerals

Interment of Ashes

Thinking of you

Readings for Sundays in June

Snippets

Dates for your diary:

The Translation of Edward the Martyr

44 - the age of depression

Twenty Years Ago

Pilgrim Places

Sleep under the Word of God

Bearly a Christian

Praying in June

Last week was a landmark for the Rectory garden. Sadly, the beautiful silver birch which stood so elegantly in the corner had to come down. It was dying, and was no longer safe either for us or for those who use Beddington Park. So the tree surgeons came and did their bit, while I looked on, watching with amazement and awe as this mighty tree came down with a heartrending groan as the wood splintered and then a thud as it hit the ground.

Almost as soon as it was down, the man in charge came to ask me what I wanted in its place – under the Council’s rulings we have to replace it with one of several suggested species. In a way it felt disrespectful – we had no time to mourn the passing of a tree that added joy to my life and to those who live in the area for so many years, but at the same time they were right, we were looking at a beginning as well as an end, and it was my role to decide what that future would look like. The decision I made would affect the view from the house for at least the next 30 years, and indeed will come to its full fruition and beauty long after I have left Beddington. I was being asked to make a decision for those who will come after me.

It’s a challenge that is much more important in other aspects of our life. What is the legacy that we will leave? How will we have shaped our world for good and for ill? Will we have made decisions for the future, the results of which we will never see – or will we live solely for the present, for what we want and demand without thinking of the cost for our children or our children’s children.

The decisions we make today have a huge impact on the future. In this world of climate change, of food shortages and pressure on oil, water and land we need to think through our decisions and to think through their impact on others both near and far.

For me, this is summed up by one of the Common Worship Collects for Evening Prayer on Tuesdays. I love the way that it asks God to be with us, to stay with us at that time when we can’t see so clearly, when the light is fading, when it becomes harder to identify the right course of action. I love the way that it relates the end of our day with the end of our life and the end of the world asknow it, and yet points us onwards to our unity with the whole Church “Now and in eternity”.

As we hang up our gardening gloves, I hope that we will feel ourselves part of that greater community, and live for them as well as ourselves.

Abide with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and day is drawing to a close.
Abide with us and with your whole Church,
in the evening of the day,
in the evening of life,
in the evening of the world;
abide with us and with all your faithful ones, O Lord,
in time and in eternity. Amen.

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What's on in June
SUN	1	TRINITY 2
Tue	3	Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way	10.30 am
Wed	4	St Mary's Guild meets at St Mary's Court	2.00 pm
Thu "	5 "	Praise & Play for pre-school toddlers Mothers' Union & Open Group meet in the Centre for a talk by John Noble on the work of Orchard Hill College. All Welcome	10.00 am 7.30 pm
Sat	7	Wandle Valley Festival. Church open	2.30-5.00 pm
SUN "	8 "	TRINITY 3. Our Guides & Brownies will attend the 9.30 am Eucharist Wandle Valley Festival. Church open	2.00-5.00 pm
Mon	9	Staff meeting at the Rectory Weddings bookings in church	9.30 am 8.30 pm
Tue	10	Time for God quiet worship. The Carew Chapel	9.30 am
Wed	11	Southwark Diocese Mothers' Union AGM at Mary Sumner House	11.00 am - 3.00 pm
Sat	14	Lunch in the Centre for members of MU branches in the Deanery	12.00-2.00 pm
SUN	15	TRINITY 4 Licensing of Rev'd Paul Goodridge by the Ven Tony Davies at Choral Evensong	5.00 pm
Wed "	18 "	MU corporate eucharist Poetry for Pleasure. The Centre	10.00 am 2.00 pm
Thu	19	Praise & Play for pre-school toddlers	10.00 am
SUN	22	TRINITY 5
Tue	24	Social Committee meets at 2 Caraway Place	7.30 pm
Fri	27	Kith, Kin & Kanine. The Centre open for coffee and cakes	10.00- 11.30 am
Sat	28	'Pudding & Plonk' at the Rectory	7.30 pm
SUN	29	SS PETER & PAUL
Mon	30	Theology Book Club at the Rectory	7.30 pm

Saints and Commemorations in June

Tue 3 Martyrs of Uganda, 1885-7, 1977

Wed 4 Petroc, Abbot of Padstow, 6th century

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

Fri 6 Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945

Mon 9 Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597

Mon 9 Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Hymn Writer, Teach of the Faith, 373

WED 11 BARNABAS THE APOSTLE

Sat 14 Richard Baxter, Puritan Divine, 1691

Mon 16 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253

Mon 16 Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, Philosopher, 1752

Tue 17 Samuel & Henrietta Barnett, Social Reformers, 1913 and 1936

Wed 18 Bernard Mizeki, Apostle of the MaSona, Martyr, 1896

Thu 19 Sundar Singh of India, Sadhu (Holy man), Evangelist, Teacher of the Faith, 1929

Fri 20 Translation of Edward, King of the West Saxons, 979BCP

Mon 23 Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c678

TUE 24 BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Fri 27 Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, Teach of the Faith, 444

Sat 28 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher of the Faith, c200

SUN 29 SS PETER & PAUL, APOSTLES

Snippets

A big THANK YOU again from the church to the hoards who descended on the building on 26 April. A vigorous polishing of pews, eviction of spiders, cleaning of carpets and turning-out under the tower resulted, followed by the 'picnic' lunch in the Centre for all who helped in this (now) annual event.

A surprising number of people (about 35) turned up at 6 am on 4 May to set out on the Dawn Chorus Walk around Beddington Park. However, it seems that most of the chorus line had got themselves out of bed a whole lot earlier, found their worms and had nodded off again by the time we passed by. So next year it looks like we shall have to start out at about 4.30 am. It was nonetheless a beautiful way to start the day.

What a great way to celebrate Kath and Mike Chilcott's Golden Wedding Anniversary on 17 May. The concert they arranged for the evening was a great surprise to anyone who hadn't seen so many handbells in action before. The Wandle Ringers and Friends were amazing. The concert raised a magnificent £760 to benefit Cancer Research and Church Funds. Kath and Mike would like to thank everyone who contributed to the day and we would like to thank them for letting us join in.

Don't forget to come along to Choral Evensong at 5.00 pm on Sunday, 15to celebrate the licensing of our Assistant Curate, the Revd Paul Goodridge. A party will follow - there is a list to sign in church to let us know how many will be attending.

The Poetry for Pleasure group meets in the Centre at 2.00 pm on Wednesday, 18 June to look at poems by the 20th century Cornish poet, Charles Causley. Why not join us? Jackie Egerton.

The Diocese is holding a course in the September term this year called Understanding Islam, led by Dr Chris Hewer, an expert in the area of Islam and Islamic/Christian Relations. The course runs on Tuesday afternoons from 2 to 4pm at Trinity house (Borough High Street), beginning on 30th September until 9th December. Dr Hewer ran a similar course for Churches Together in Coulsdon which was very warmly received. For details see Justine.

Treasures of the English Church. An annual exhibition at Goldsmiths' Hall, London with a rare chance to see historic gilt treasures as well as an opportunity to explore this historic building which is usually closed to the public. The exhibition runs from 30and 12 July, Mon-Sat,

9.00 am-5.00 pm Admission is free.

Dates for your diary:

Tuesday, 1 July

Confirmations, including candidates from St Mary's, will be held at StChurch, Sutton.

Sunday, 13 July

The return of Duck Day in the park

Saturday, 30 August

Parish Quiet Day at St Mary's Abbey, West Malling.

Bouquets all round

During the early May Bank Holiday weekend St Mary's staged its much anticipated Flower Festival - and it was well worth waiting for. Coupled with an art exhibition, refreshments, raffle and sales table and tours of the bell tower - there was something for everyone, including children!

Making your way up the church path towards the West door, one's eye was immediately taken by a somewhat unusual sight - an array of boots and shoes of all descriptions all prettied up with - yes, you've guessed it - flowers. With interest immediately aroused, on entering through to door there were footsteps on the floor leading you to the first exhibit 'Footsteps in the Sand' and then onwards around the entire church.

The theme of the whole festival was 'A Walk Through Life' - 31 flower displays representing our journey from cradle to the grave. It would be wrong of me to single out any one display because to me they were all equal in merit. But what I most admired was that first of all someone had to have the original idea, and then translate that idea into flowers - incredibly clever I think!

Nevertheless, I must just mention three: Because of my fondness of small children I really loved 'The Early Years' and 'Mary, Mary Quite Contrary'. The clever floral mobile hanging above the pram containing a beautiful 'baby' was utterly charming, as was 'Mary-Mary ..' with the font decked out with bells and shells and pretty pots containing flowers made by children. Then, as music has always played a huge part in my life, the display entitled 'Making Music' was nothing short of a work of genius. To match the flowers to the instruments - trumpet lilies beside a trumpet, campanula next to a reference to campanology and a viola next to a winding trough of its namesake flower was brilliant.

I think we all need to say an enormous thank you to all who took, but particularly to Sue Ardley whose expertise and artistry played such a large part in making the whole festival the undoubted success it was. And who could overlook Maud Adams and her team of helpers for the truly staggering amount of tea/coffee/sandwich and cake making that was needed to keep up with the constant influx of hungry and thirsty people - not only from our Flower Festival but from the Beddington Park Fayre being held over that weekend as well.

The bonus spin-off that so many people came from far and wide - hopefully to return to St Mary's another day - was indeed great. Not to mention the raising of over £2,500 for the benefit of church funds and the charity, Bag Books.

Mary Tapp

then there was …….

The Flower Festival Concert What a fantastic evening we all had on the Saturday evening at the Flower Festival Concert. The choir entertained everyone with their musical talents which included wonderful instrumental and vocal pieces. It was so nice to see such a diverse range of musical talent, from electric guitar to church organ. The encouragement and support given by Andrew to the choir was evident in the enthusiasm shown by everyone involved on the night. Well done.

Alison Hargreaves

and finally …..

"Here's your supper" - carrots, herbs, broccoli, sweet corn and aubergines on offer; flowers sent to people who could not come to the event - nothing was wasted from the displays. Then, sand was shovelled back into big sacks, display boards stored for the next time, floors swept, rubbish and milk bottles put out on the doorstep - all part of the great clear up. And it took less than an hour!! Another thank-you to the whirlwind tidying-up team who achieved this.

Pat Kingsbury

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Mothers’ Union

On Wednesday, 14 May, we attended the Mothers' Union services at Southwark Cathedral. How lucky we were to be able to do so.

In Zimbabwe. thousands of MU members met for a mass and prayer meeting. Many had walked long distances to be there but the police arrived and forbade them to continue. As the police could give them no reason to stop, the prayers continued. So the police simply drove their cars into the crowd to disperse them all.

The speaker on Wednesday was Revd. Canon Andrew White, Vicar of St.'s church in Baghdad. He told us that his church (where incidentally services last 3-5 hours) had 1000 women and 500 child members, but only eight men - all the others had been killed. Thirteen of his church members had been kidnapped the previous week. At a church council meeting, rockets were fired into the hall. Everyone there fell to the floor - but continued to sing. As he left that meeting, wearing a bullet proof helmet and vest, rockets flew above his helicopter.

We were told that the MU does so much work there, but everything is so awful - 100 times worse than what we see on TV but nobody complains.

Please pray for these countries.

Pam Vernon

Hail the day……

…… only we didn't! Or not many of us. I well remember the time when the Feast of the Ascension drew a full church, a ceremonial procession and our worship ascending with the incense to God. We had the day off school, it was so important. St Mary's services were well-attended too until more recent years. This year we all, including the choir, fitted easily into the choir stalls.

Ascension Day marks the final meeting between the risen Jesus and his disciples before he was taken up into heaven. He made his promise always to be with them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why has this festival lost its importance to us?

Ascension-tide is associated across Britain with various festivals, ranging from well-dressing in Derbyshire to Planting the Penny Hedge in Whitby, Yorkshire.

Well-dressing involves the decoration of springs and wells with pictures made from living plants and flowers. Tissington in Derbyshire is usually the first village to hold such a ceremony each year. It dates from 1349 after the village escaped the terrible outbreak of the Black Death that swept the country the previous year. Well-dressing starts in May, around Ascension-tide, and continues until August.

The Planting of the Penny Hedge is a rather unusual ceremony. Every year, on the Eve of the Ascension, a "Penny" (penance) Hedge has to be erected on the beach at Boyes Staithe, near Whitby. It commemorates a medieval penance imposed by the Abbot of Whitby on some local noblemen who disturbed a holy hermit at prayer and beat him up.

The stakes and woven twigs for the hedge have to be cut in a local wood at sunrise on Ascension Eve, carried to Whitby harbour at low tide and made into a hedge strong enough to withstand three full tides.

We don't seem to have any special ceremonies here to celebrate the Ascension, except a choral Eucharist. It was a pity such an important Christian festival was marked by so few but let us all remember and sing in our hearts:

Lord, though parted from our sight,

Far above yon azure height;

Grant our hearts may thither rise

Seeking Thee beyond the skies. Alleluya

Jean Kimber

Who Are They?

Where did all the Christian denominations come from?

The Presbyterian churches

The word ‘presbyterian’ comes from the Greek term ‘presbuteros,’ which is found in the Greek New Testament. In most English Bibles it is translated as ‘elder.’ In Acts 13 and 14 there is the record of the places where Paul and Barnabas preached on their first missionary journey. The Christian converts were gathered together into Church fellowships and Paul and Barnabas ‘appointed elders for them in every church’ (14:23).

These ‘elders’ or ‘presbyterers’ were pastors, appointed to preach the Word of God and shepherd the flock of God. Two other terms are also found in the Greek NT relating to Church leadership. They are ‘episcopus,’ translated ‘bishop’ and ‘diakonos,’ translated ‘deacon.’ It is arguable that these four words, elder, presbyter, bishop and deacon, all refer to the pastors and leaders who were responsible for preaching and pastoral ministry in the NT churches.

Presbyterian Churches were founded as a result of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. They were governed by bishops and so were called episcopal. The Reformation in Switzerland, led by John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, were organised under the leadership of presbyters, hence ‘presbyterian.’ One reason for this preference was that Calvin and Zwingli did not like the power and authority and prestige that belonged to bishops in the Roman Church.

When the Reformation took root in Britain, it produced an Episcopal Church in England and a Presbyterian Church in Scotland. John Knox, Scotland’s fiery Reformer, had spent time in Geneva and was attracted to the kind of church worship, government and preaching that he found there. The Church that Knox founded in 1560 and led until his death in 1572, became the Church of Scotland. It was strongly Protestant and Calvinist in its doctrine, putting strong emphasis on the importance of preaching and the leadership of God-called elders. The Westminster Confession was drawn up in London between 1643 and 1646 during the Commonwealth Period. Together with the Longer and Shorter Catechisms, this Confession became, after Scripture, the doctrinal foundation of Presbyterianism, both in Britain and wherever Presbyterian Churches were founded across the world.

In the reign of Elizabeth I Presbyterian churches were organised in England, but they were never as numerous or as influential as the Church of England.

Scottish settlers in the North of Ireland in the 17th century brought their Presbyterian faith with them and it became strongly established. Eventually Presbyterianism was established in North America and particularly in the countries of the old British Empire including South Africa, India, New Zealand and Australia. Presbyterian missions expanded the work in Central and South America, in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

From the beginning, Presbyterianism was characterised by the rule and leadership of elders. Each local congregation calls its own minister. The local church is governed by the Kirk Session while Presbyteries are groups of churches in a geographical area, resembling a large parish. On a national level Presbyterian Churches are governed by their General Assemblies.

Presbyterian worship has traditionally been conservative with most Presbyterian churches having choirs and congregational hymn-singing. A number of smaller Presbyterian groups, however, broke away from the larger organisation and formed churches where only the metrical Psalms are sung. These more conservative congregations adhere strictly to the theology of the Westminster Confession and are often openly critical of what they label the ‘liberalism’ of the larger Presbyterian groups.

The Presbyterian Church in England united with the Congregational Church in 1972 and became the United Reformed Church.

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Barnabas

11 June

Are you going to Cyprus on holiday this year? If so, spare a thought for the Cypriot who played such a key role in the New Testament.

He was Joseph, a Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, who is first mentioned in Acts 4:36, when the early church was sharing a communal lifestyle. Joseph sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. His support so touched them that they gave him the nickname of Barnabas, ‘Son of Encouragement’.

Barnabas has two great claims to fame. Firstly, it was Barnabas who made the journey to go and fetch the converted Paul out of Tarsus, and persuade him to go with him to Antioch, where there were many new believers with no one to help them. For a year the two men ministered there, establishing a church. It was here that the believers were first called Christians.

It was also in Antioch (Acts 13) that the Holy Spirit led the church to ‘set aside’ Barnabas and Paul, and send them out on the church’s first ever ‘missionary journey’. The Bible tells us that they went to Cyprus, and travelled throughout the island. It was at Lystra that the locals mistook Barnabas for Zeus and Paul for Hermes, much to their dismay.

Much later, back in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul decided to part company. While Paul travelled on to Syria, Barnabas did what he could do best - return to Cyprus and continue to evangelise it. So if you go to Cyprus and see churches, remember that Christianity on that beautiful island goes right back to Acts 13, when Barnabas and Paul first arrived.

In England there are 13 ancient church dedications and not a few modern ones. Barnabas the generous, the encourager, the apostle who loved his own people – no wonder he should be remembered with love.

The Translation of Edward the Martyr

June 20

Edward the Martyr is generally supposed to be the son of King Edgar and Athelflaed. He succeeded to the throne in 975. His crowning was opposed by a group who wanted his seven-year-old half-brother as king. Edward himself was only 13 when he was crowned by Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.

There was much unrest in the country at the time, including a famine and an anti- monastic reaction. A conspiracy was hatched to get rid of the young king. While out hunting in Dorset, Edward decided to visit his half-brother at Corfe Castle. There, on 18 March, 978, he was brutally murdered.

The day after his death, his body was taken to Wareham and laid to rest. No sooner was he buried, than miracles began to occur. A spring of clear water broke out from beside the grave and many blind people who bathed their eyes in the water, had their sight restored.

Because of the miracles, it was decided to translate the sacred relics to Shaftesbury. They were translated and reburied with full royal honours in 981 AD. In 1001 AD, they were once again taken up and placed in an elaborate shrine in Shaftesbury Abbey.

During the dissolution of the monasteries, when many holy places were demolished, the saint's relics escaped destruction, probably hidden by the nuns of the Abbey. They were discovered in 1931 during an archaeological excavation of the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey.

In 1979, St Edwards relics were handed over to the Russian Orthodox church and now rest in the cemetery of the Russian Orthodox church in Brookwood, Surrey. He is mainly venerated in the Orthodox church and the church in Athelhampton, being the only Orthodox church in rural Dorset, is dedicated to him. But there are a few Anglican churches around with his dedication, the church at Corfe Castle and the pretty little church hidden away in the heart of the City of Cambridge, being two of them.

On St Edward's special day, let us remember all blind people and those who work for them.

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Twenty Years Ago

June 1988

Carousel reported that

- the Rectory phone was now connected - with the same number;

- tickets for the Ball to be held in the Great Hall in Carew Manor, were now on sale;

- Mark Chilcott had just been granted his PhD from Cambridge. (It was good to see him back in the pulpit at Kath and Michael's celebration, albeit in a slightly different role!).

The Junior section of the Boys' Brigade had had a sponsored walk in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind; they had had a talk on various aspects of the Police Force and had raised £50 for Fresh Water for Life.

Sutton Welcare had a plea for cots, sheets, blankets and stairgates. I'm sure similar items would still be needed, if you don't know what to do with your unwanted ones.

The Guides and Brownies had been busy with Craft workshops and had found a use for empty lemonade bottles. Any readers still got their plant-holders?

There was a request from yours truly for players of wind instruments (any type, any standard) or guitars, to take part in the Parish concerts to be held the following January. Seven months might have seemed like a lot of notice but music was already being chosen and arranged, ready for autumn practices.

Heather Cosgrove had been on a trip to Wells Cathedral, where our choir had the privilege of singing. She had greatly enjoyed both the cathedral and our choir's singing and felt very proud of St Mary's.

(When talking to visitors to the tower, Wells Cathedral often gets a mention. People gasp at the weight of our Tenor bell - 18½ cwt - until I point out that the tenor bell at Wells Cathedral weighs 56 cwt, making it the heaviest ring of 10 bells in the world, and making ours look a real lightweight!)

In Stewart Kimber's Twenty Years Ago, he had discovered that the Parish Personality for June 1968 had been Sheila Greenslade. How many of you remember her as Head of Beddington Church School?

Stewart also mentioned again the "twin" with St Augustine's, Wilmette, Illinois. In June 1968,we had received a newsletter from their church. It was produced weekly on two sides of foolscap paper and that particular edition was full of the Stewardship campaign they were running. Their target was $90,000. Anyone care to convert that at 1968 rates?*

Jean Kimber

* The 1967 conversion would equal £37,500 (or £468,780 in today's money) but the system of pegging currency against gold collapsed in 1968 making it difficult to interpret data for the exact year. Ha! The wonders of the internet! (Ed.)

Pilgrim Places

Historic Christian Sites in Britain

Canterbury

Christianity is a historical religion, and the places long linked with the Christian gospel are a part of our great heritage of 1800 years of the Christian Faith in these islands. Our look at Canterbury will run over three months.

The Christian Church was born in the city of Jerusalem in the great events of our Lord's death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It spread rapidly across the Roman world and other cities became important Christian centres. These included Antioch, Ephesus, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome.

At the beginning of the 6th century a small town in south east England was added to that illustrious list - Canterbury in Kent. It seemed more likely that London or Winchester or Lincoln would have become the centre of English Christianity, but a missionary's decision to make Canterbury his headquarters gave the honour to a town formerly fairly insignificant. That missionary was Augustine (died 604/605 AD), a Benedictine monk from a monastery in Rome and not to be confused with the much better known Bishop Augustine of Hippo in North Africa (354-430).

Augustine was selected for this mission to England by Bishop Gregory of Rome.

We are not sure why Gregory initiated this mission but there is a well-known story about it. This story, or legend, is told in the Venerable Bede's great work on English Church History, 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People'. Bede tells us that while Bishop Gregory was visiting the Forum in Rome, he saw children for sale in the slave market. Noting their fair complexions and blue eyes, he asked who they were and was told they were Angles, captured in their home country, England. Gregory is alleged to have replied with a Latin pun. 'Non Angli, sed angeli', 'not Angles but angels'. Gregory sent Augustine and 40 other monks on a mission to England to convert the native peoples to Christianity.

Of course this was not the first time the Christian faith reached Britain. The gospel had come to these islands at least three hundred years before Augustine's mission. Who brought the Good News to our ancestors is uncertain. It might have come with Roman soldiers or traders, for the Romans had occupied the country as early as 43 AD.

More likely, however, it was Christian missionaries from Gaul (France), our nearest neighbours across the English Channel, who first evangelised our pagan forefathers. When an important Church Council was held in Arles in France in 314 AD, the records show that three English bishops attended, indicating that early in the 4th century Christianity was well enough established in England to have at least three bishoprics.

Continued next month.

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Sleep under the Word of God

Does your child sleep under a Spiderman duvet cover? Now he or she can sleep under the Scriptures. A new company, TruthFabric based in Grimsby, has started making Christian bedding with words of scripture on it.

"Every child should be able to have a duvet on their bed which reminds them God is real and that they are loved by God," says the founders of TruthFabric.

The Christian bedding products are ethically produced in India. Some of the profits go to an orphanage in India, and a drug rehabilitation project and a nursing home in the UK. For more details: www.truthfabric.com or phone 07961 865578

Bearly a Christian

An atheist was walking through the woods.

'What majestic trees'! 'What powerful rivers'!

'What beautiful animals'! said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out, 'OH MY GOD!'

Time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. 'You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?'

The atheist looked directly into the light, 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?'

'Very Well', said the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head and spoke:

'Lord bless this food, which I am about

to receive from thy bounty through

Christ our Lord, Amen.'

Praying in June

On June 29th we celebrate the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, two of the earliest leaders of the Christian community. Their stories are about the transformation of apparently insignificant people into leaders through God’s power and about a willingness to look beyond our normal expectations to new communities and new possibilities.

Traditionally many ordinations take place around Petertide, and we are asked to pray not only for those who are being ordained this year but for all of us as we seek to live out our Christian vocation.

Our local community:

1-7 June

For the natural life of Beddington Park and the important part it plays in our community. For the Wildlife Centre on its refurbishment and all its staff.

15 June

For the Revd Paul Goodridge as he joins us as our Assistant Curate today. Remember too his family as they settle into a new home and community.

The World

Pray that the leaders of the nations might have the courage to extend their vision, that they might receive the gifts of wisdom, discernment and courage to face up to injustice.

As the second round of voting in the Zimbabwe elections approaches, pray for the leaders of all the parties, that they might use their influence to minimise violence.

The Church

26-29 June

Pray for all Christians that we might discover and live out our vocation. Pray particularly for those who are exploring a call to ordained ministry and all those being ordained at this time.

               God our Father, Lord of all our world,
               we thank you that through your Son
               you have called us into the fellowship of your universal Church.
               Hear our prayer for all your faithful people
               that each in their vocation and ministry
               may be an instrument of your love.

Amen.

(From the Collect for the Ordination of Deacons)

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What's on in June

Saints and Commemorations in June

From the Registers

Baptisms

Wedding

Funerals

Interment of Ashes

Thinking of you

Readings for Sundays in June

Snippets

Dates for your diary:

Bouquets all round

Mothers’ Union

Hail the day……

Who Are They?

Barnabas

The Translation of Edward the Martyr

44 - the age of depression

Twenty Years Ago

Pilgrim Places

Sleep under the Word of God

Bearly a Christian

Praying in June