Saints
and Commemorations in July
As I write this a number of
Anglican bishops and many others are meeting in Jerusalem for the Global
Anglican Future Conference which intends to provide an opportunity for
Anglicans to “network with Anglicans around the world who
share our trust in the authority of God’s word.” (Archbishop
Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia). It has been portrayed by the media
as an “Alternative to the Lambeth Conference”, some of
the bishops attending will not attend the main conference of Anglican bishops
which takes place every 10 years. Media attention has been focused on the issue
of homosexuality, gay priests, gay blessings, gay bishops, with a side issue of
the ordination of women. However, this is a headline grabbing view – the
reality is that the conference rests on the question of authority within the
Anglican Communion and who proclaims “Anglican orthodoxy.”
The problem is that both the
Church of England and the Anglican Communion that grew from it was never
designed to proclaim orthodoxy as such. It was born out of controversy and
debate and its parentage shows. The Church of England doesn’t have a single
point or person who proclaims what is the “Truth”. Rather, the doctrine of the
church is based on understanding the revelation of God in Scripture, the
tradition of the Church expressed in the ecumenical Creeds, and the Thirty Nine
Articles of Faith that you can find at the back of the Book of Common Prayer.
Behind all of the texts lies much division, anger, hurt and indeed bloodshed.
There has never been, and never will be, a united Church this side of heaven.
Human beings are too stubborn and too convinced they hold the unique truth.
Anglican theology goes even
further than that. It recognises that we cannot read straight off the pages of
the Bible and apply what we find to contemporary life – whether that life is
lived in the sixteenth, twenty-first or twenty-fifth century. Rather, faith has
to be read through the prism of scripture, reason and tradition, and each
person applies these tests and perspectives in different proportions depending
on their culture, personality, training and the influence of the Holy Spirit.
It is up to each Christian to think for themselves,
not simply to accept another’s point of view, but to listen in humility, to
test, to try and to weigh the evidence and then come to a final decision. The
role of the clergy, as well as doing this for themselves, is to help people to
develop these skills and open up the richness of scripture, our history and
modern scholarship so that we can reach responsible faithful decisions, guided
by God. So the Bishop of London can write about the recent blessing in St
Bartholomew the Greater “Those clergy who disagree with the Church’s teaching
are at liberty to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they
believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be
changed.” GAFCON, which lays most emphasis on a literal reading of the Bible,
is doing the same thing, seeking to create a formalised definition of what and
who is “orthodox” and what and who fails that test. The sadness is that they
may be threatening to split from the rest of the Anglican Communion if they
don’t get their way.
The treasure and the trauma
of the Church of England is that debate and tension is at the core of its
being. It is not a church which allows us to rely on others for our faith and
tells us precisely what to believe, and that can be difficult to live with. It
is a Church which, at its best, understands the virtue of humility and knows
that, no matter how holy, how wise, no human can understand all that there is
of God. “We may be wrong” is not a motto of weakness, but one that recognises
the greatness of God and human fallibility.
So we need to pray for those
attending GAFCON and those attending Lambeth, that they will have humility,
wisdom and insight. And we need to pray for each other, even those we disagree
with, that we might learn from each other and that together we might learn more
of God and God’s love.
Justine
What's on in July |
|||
|
Tue |
1 |
Confirmation Service at St
Nicholas, Sutton |
7.30 pm |
|
Wed |
2 |
St Mary's Guild meets at
St Mary's Court |
2.30 pm |
|
Thu " |
3 " |
'Praise & Play' for
pre-school toddlers Mother's Union Annual
Dinner Outing |
10.00 am 7.30 pm |
|
SUN |
6 |
TRINITY 7 |
|
|
Mon |
7 |
PCC Meeting. The Centre |
8.00 pm |
|
Tue |
8 |
'Time for God' Quiet
Worship. The Carew Chapel |
9.30 am |
|
Wed |
9 |
Sutton Deanery Synod meets
at St Patrick's Church, Park Hill, Wallington. All
welcome |
7.45 pm |
|
SUN |
13 |
TRINITY 8 Duck Day in the Park |
1.00-3.00 pm |
|
Mon |
14 |
Staff Meeting at the
Rectory |
9.30 am |
|
Wed " |
16 " |
MU Corporate Eucharist Poetry for Pleasure. The
Centre |
10.00 am - 2.00 pm |
|
Thu |
17 |
'Praise & Play' for
pre-school toddlers. |
10.00 am |
|
SUN |
20 |
TRINITY 9 |
|
|
Fri |
25 |
'Kith, Kin & Kanine'.
The Centre open for coffee & cake. |
10.00-11.30 am |
|
SUN |
27 |
TRINITY 10 |
|
The last Choral Evensong
before our choir takes its well-earned summer break will be on Sunday, 20 July.
As is usual, Evening Prayer will be said at 6.30pm every Sunday until Choral
Evensong resumes on 7 September.
Tue 1 Henry, John & Henry Venn the
younger. Priests, Evangelical
Divines,
1797, 1813 and 1873
Thu 3 THOMAS THE APOSTLE
Fri 11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino,
Father of
Western Monasticism, c550
Mon 14 John Keble,
Priest, Poet, Tractarian, 1866
Tue 15 Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c862
" " Bonaventure,
Friar, Bishop, Teacher of the Faith, 1274
Wed 16 Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, 1099
Fri 18 Elizabeth Ferard, first Deaconess of the Church of England, Founder
of the Community of St Andrew, 1883
Sat 19 Gregory,
Bishop of Nyssa, and his sister Macrina, Deaconess,
Teacher of the Faith, c394 & c379
Tue 22 MARY MAGDALENE
Wed 23 Bridget of
Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena, 1373
Fri 25 JAMES THE
APOSTLE
Sat 26 Anne &
Joachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tue 29 Mary, Martha
and Lazarus, Companions of our Lord
Wed 30 William
Wilberforce, Social Reformer, 1833
Thu 31 Ignatius
Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus, 1556
Baptisms
15 June Amanda
Jones
Joshua Thompson-Jones
Zoe Thompson-Jones
Charlie Seeney
Weddings
7 June Barry
Scott Pereira and Natalie Samantha Ranlall
14 June Christopher
Stephen Hicks and Kate Jane Maria Bulling
Darren James Simmonds and Gemma Louise Wade
Every Sunday we pray for
people living and working in two or three roads in the parish.
The roads in July will be:
Sunday, 6 July
Therapia Lane & Elberon Avenue
Sunday, 13 July
Brookmead Road & Oakmead Road
Sunday, 20 July
Homemead Road & Redhouse Road
Sunday, 27 July
Rosemary Close, Cinnamon
Close & Saffron Close
Sunday, 6 July
Trinity 7
Song of Solomon 2 : 8-13
Matthew 11
: 16-19, 25 end
Sunday, 13 July
Trinity 8
Genesis 25
: 19-end
Romans 8 :
1-11
Matthew 13
: 1-9, 18-23
Sunday, 20 July
Trinity 9
Genesis 28
: 10-19a
Romans 8 :
12-25
Matthew 13
: 24-30, 36-43
Sunday, 27 July
Trinity 10
Genesis 29
: 15-28
Romans 8 :
26-end
Matthew 13
: 31-33, 44-52
The Poetry for Pleasure
group meets in the Centre at 2.00 pm on Wednesday, 16 July to read poems by the
American poet, Robert Frost. Newcomers very welcome. Please note that there
will be no meeting of the poetry circle in August Jackie Egerton.
Compline by Candlelight From May to September at St Mary the Virgin, Farleigh,
Compline is said every Sunday at 8 pm. This very small Grade 1 listed church
was built not later than the 1080's AD. The theme of the services this year is
'More People of Faith' and there is a different speaker each week, including
Bishop Nick. On the Sunday we went, the
Rev Sara Goatcher was talking about St Hilda. The
candlelight and the ancient organ make it a 'different' occasion and we were
warmly welcomed by the churchwarden. We understand they also serve delicious
teas every Sunday afternoon from 2.30-5.00 pm in the adjoining hall, which we
have yet to sample. It is not very far to travel for a rather unique 'one off'.
Gerry & Eileen England
Recycle! Did you know that
you can recycle your Green Waste at a site in Beddington Lane? The Viridor Waste Management Site, 105 Beddington Lane, is on
the left immediately after the roundabout by Coomber.
You need to take some form of ID to show the man at the gate that you are a
resident in Sutton. It's all very easy - just park beside a skipempty
your bags into it. (There was no queue when I went). Opening Times:- Saturday11am - 5pmSunday & Bank Holidays9am - 5pm. Sue Ardley
Sutton Deanery Synod meets
on 9at St Patrick's Church, Park Hill Wallington. 7.45pm for 8.00pm.
Rev Canon Michael Hart,
Diocesan Missioner will enlighten us on "Fresh Expressions
and other mission developments and issues in the diocese". All are welcome
Some local
events:
At Carshalton library:
Saturday, 5 July,
2.30-3.30pm
Betjeman on the Patio. A poetry
reading by local actress Pam
Lyne and friends, with
afternoon tea
(in
the garden weather permitting otherwise indoors). £2.50 includes refreshments.
Saturday 19 July,
2.30-3.30pm
Old Blue
Eyes. The life and music of Frank
Sinatra, with afternoon tea in the garden (weather permitting otherwise
indoors). £2.50 includes refreshments.
At Wallington Library
Saturday, 19 July,
9.30am-3.00pm
Friends of
Wallington Library and Gardens Summer Fair. Stalls, events and entertainment
in the library gardens.
Dates for your diary:
Saturday, 30 August
Parish
Quiet Day at St Mary's Abbey, West Malling. An excellent opportunity for quiet
reflection. Sign up on list in church, or speak to Jenifer or Justine.
Saturday,
6 September at 7.30 pm Concert of Jazz and Popular Music of the 1920s &
30s. Featuring
Hugh Crozier and Pam Akhurst. Tickets £7 at the door.
If you want to make any requests for your favourite items, there is still time
to put your tick on the list to be found in the usual place - at the back of
church.
Since learning early in the
year that we were to be entrusted with playing a part in the ongoing training
of the Revd Paul Goodridge as our Assistant Curate, we have been eagerly
awaiting his arrival. At Evensong on Sunday, 15 June, Paul was licensed by the Ven Tony Davies. It was a wonderful occasion, and Paul was
supported by lots of his friends from St Dunstan's
who were saying a reluctant farewell to him. In true St Mary's style, the
service was followed by copious amounts of food and drink - the weather being
kind in allowing the BBQ to proceed (for which, many thanks are due to Jake,
Maud and Pierre).
We're all very much looking
forward to getting to know Paul and his family more, but in case you couldn't
make it on 15 June, here is a short biography written by Paul:
I was born in 1954 in
Battersea London, the second child of five (two brothers and two sisters).
I have four children Louise
26, Adam 23, Catherine 15 and Victoria 12 and have been married to Elizabeth
for 21 years. Elizabeth is in her second
year of training for Ordination and I look forward to working with her in
ministry.
I was initially involved in
the Church through being a member of the choir, until my voice broke and the
strange noises I made became increasingly embarrassing to me and to the Choir
Master! I am not sure my voice has recovered and it will be a challenge to try
and reach the obvious high standards of music at St Mary’s.
As a teenager I turned away
from the church and lived my life as an agnostic - I have never been able to
shake off the view that there is something more than me and you.
I returned 15 years ago when
Elizabeth and I wanted to give thanks for the birth of Catherine and attended
Baptism preparation at our local church. God got a hold of me again, and I
would have happily served the church as PCC Member, Server and organiser of
fairs. Then I heard a sermon on
vocations and gradually I sensed a calling to something more.
I was accepted for training
in 2001, ordained 2004 and priested in 2005 under the
OLM (Ordained Local Minister) Scheme. I left my job in the NHS in 2006 and
became a full-time unpaid Priest or SSM. I was responsible for outreach and
pastoral care. I set up drop-ins, lay visiting teams and extended our work with
young families, as well as encouraging those of older years to return to the
church as the home they knew in the past. In addition I was a Chaplain at St
Raphael's Hospice.
I believe Ministers should
be seen and known in their communities. I knew shopkeepers, café owners and so
on and worked closely with the Safer Neighbourhood Team. I was involved with
our linked Church of England Primary School and am a Governor of one of the
borough’s secondary schools.
I had to go through a second
selection process to be accepted as a full time paid Priest and here I am
looking forward to working with you to help build God’s Kingdom in the parish
of Beddington.
My favourites: Colour: Blue
Football Team: Chelsea
Sport: Rugby Union
Drink: Red Wine (very occasionally)
Food: Indian and Italian
Beverage: Earl Grey Tea
TV programme: Star Trek
In May this year, eight
people from St Mary's congregation joined the 300,000 collectors
country-wide for the Christian Aid Week house-to-house collection. We were met
with courtesy by people to whom we were complete strangers when we knocked on
their doors. Some people had the collection envelopes ready,
others emptied their pockets or their piggy banks as we stood on their
doorsteps.
Christian Aid's excellent
publicity over the years has made this annual collecting easier and easier.
Between the eight of us we collected
just under £900 and covered only eleven roads in the parish.
IN MAY NEXT YEAR, if only
there could be sixteen of us - or even twenty-four ……..
Christian Aid empowers some of the world's
poorest people to improve their
lives.
As I write, the Opposition
MDC has just announced that it will not participate in the proposed run-off
election on 27 June 2008. This will leave President Mugabe
in power, but what else the future holds for Zimbabwe is not clear. All that is
certain is that the people will go on needing our prayers.
In our link diocese
The people of the city of Gweru are mentioned in our church notices, because it was
targeted for violence as an MDC stronghold. Bishop Ishmael also speaks of the
people of rural Gokwe, who voted for Morgan Tsvangirai in the first presidential election. He writes:
‘I have just arrived back
safely from my trip to rural Gokwe… The situation in
the rural areas is bad to say the least. … In some areas, victims have been
killed in front of people as an example to those who decide to vote otherwise.
In all rural areas people are subjected to all-night meetings with the same
message being repeated. These people are very
unsophisticated and easily gripped by fear. However, it was good that I was
able to be with them and encourage them to overcome fear.’
In the Anglican Province of Central Africa
On 3rd June, the Bishops of
the Anglican Province of Central Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe)
issued a strong statement condemning the violence and calling on the
perpetrators ‘…of these immoral and criminal
activities to respect the rule of law which safeguards and preserves human life
and dignity. …’
Croydon’s contribution
The diocese of Southwark
reports that the Croydon Link has at last been able to find and fund cement
supplies for the building of St Patrick’s Hospital. A truckload was safely
delivered there in the past couple of weeks.
Bishop Ishmael writes: ‘This is a real boost to the project and should
take us to ring beam level. Many thanks to the Link Team.’
Croydon has also been able
to source and provide a quantity of maize meal and is looking into further food
deliveries to support clergy.
Our parish
Individuals and parishes can
join a Circle of Prayer, set up by Liz Neale of
Emmanuel Church, Sidlow Bridge, near Reigate. Members
of the congregation are asked to say a simple prayer for Zimbabwe at a regular
time each day. The best way to remember is to do it at the same time every day,
perhaps when you have an early morning cup of tea, as a grace before a meal,
when you take a bath or shower, or your medication. If you are willing to
commit to the circle of prayer, it would be helpful if you could send an e-mail
to alis@uspg.org.uk, as it would mean a lot to our friends in Central Zimbabwe
if we can tell them how many are praying in this way.
Any prayer will do. One
suggestion is this:
‘I pray now for our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe,
Grant them, Lord, a vision of their land as your love
would make it
A land where the weak are protected and none go hungry or
poor;
A land where the benefits of civilised life are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
A land where different races and cultures live in
tolerance and mutual respect;
A land where peace is built with justice,
and justice is guided by love.
And Lord give them and us the
inspiration and courage to build it.’
Suitable prayers can also be
found at:
www.tearfund.org
www.prayzimbabwe.org
www.christianaid.org.uk
www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk
Diary date:
Saturday 25th October at
Christ Church, Purley
Zimbabwe Link Event with
Bishop Nick
An evening
to catch up on news from Zimbabwe and from the Link. Bishop Nick will be there, with a special guest
speaker. Cost is £7.50 / £4 concessions, which includes an evening meal.
Contact: Ann Wright, at wright@btinternet.com
God bless Zimbabwe
Guard her children
Transform her rulers
And give her peace.
Araba Taylor
June 2008
The Lutheran Church, in its
various forms, is one of the largest denominations in Protestantism, with a
world membership of about 66 million. It
takes its name from the life and work of Martin Luther (1483-1546).
Born in Eisleben,
Germany, Luther was a very devout Augustinian monk but in spite of all his
prayers, devotions and religious vigils, he could not find peace of heart. Appointed to teach theology at the University
of Wittenberg in 1513, his struggles with scripture led him to reappraise his
faith.
As Luther
struggled with Romans 1:17. ‘The
righteousness of God is revealed …the just shall live by faith.’ he came to
understand that salvation is the gift of God, not achieved by our prayers, our
works, our sincerity or our endeavours.
This was the basis of his teaching.
On October 31st 1517 Luther
nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The
Theses were 95 theological subjects that Luther wanted to debate publicly.
Over the next few years,
Luther’s study of Scripture and Church history led him to deny all the cardinal
Roman doctrines. There were only two
true sacraments, baptism and communion, not seven as claimed by the Medieval
Church. There was no scripture
foundation for the doctrines of penance, papal authority, pilgrimages,
adoration of Mary and the saints. Neither was there any foundation for the
doctrine of purgatory and it was clear to Luther that in the past Church
Councils had erred in their pronouncements.
From its beginnings in
Wittenberg, Luther’s new evangelical teaching, Lutheranism, spread rapidly in
northern Germany. Luther’s Reformation
inspired other Reformers in Europe and thirty years after the nailing of the
Theses, the Protestant Reformation was spreading across Europe, including
England and Scotland. Although a number
of the Lutheran leaders were very friendly with the Reformation leaders in England,
Lutheranism did not establish churches in Britain until the 20th century.
Following the teaching of
Martin Luther, Lutheranism puts strong emphasis on the full and final authority
of Scripture and the doctrine of justification by faith. Likewise, following
Luther’s example, the preaching of the gospel is central to Lutheran faith and
worship. The Lutheran Church is episcopal, having the
rule of bishops in its leadership. It accepts the two sacraments of communion
and baptism and baptises both infants and adults who confess personal faith.
In addition to its adherence
to the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian
Creed, Lutheranism is defined by the Augsburg Confession. This creedal statement was drawn up by Philip
Melanchthon (1497-1560), Luther’s younger colleague,
and adopted as the official Creed of Lutheranism at the Diet of Augsburg in
1530. This Confession is Protestant and
evangelical, with statements of faith in the holy Trinity, the perfect deity
and humanity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit. It stresses an
Augustinian doctrine of our inheritance of original sin from Adam, the
universal extent of Christ’s atoning death, and the doctrine of salvation by
faith alone in Christ.
Preaching the gospel is the
declaration of the good news of salvation.
The Holy Spirit creates saving faith in the hearts of those called by
the gospel. As Martin Luther constantly warned against any form of doctrine of
salvation by human works, so the Augsburg Confession clarifies that goods works
and holy living are the consequences of salvation in Christ, not the cause of
it.
1792-1866
14 July
The Church celebrates John
Keble on 14 July, which is not, as you might expect, the anniversary of his
birth or death, but of the day in 1833 when he preached a remarkable sermon
from the University pulpit in Oxford.
John Keble was the son of a
country parson. He was a brilliant scholar at Oxford and one of his college's
youngest Fellows, and elected Professor of Poetry at the early age of 39. Resigning his Fellowship after only six
years, he went back to the Cotswolds to work as his father's Assistant Curate.
Later he became Vicar of Hursley, near Winchester, where he stayed for the
rest of his working life.
Keble and some of his Oxford
friends including John Newman and Edward Pusey had,
by 1833, become very concerned about the situation in the Church of England.
What they saw was a church under the thumb of the State, demoralised clergy and
uncared for congregations. Keble was an 'unassuming and unaffected' man
(Newman's words) - 'a mixture of extreme hatred of humbug which boiled over
into this powerful sermon and which started the religious revival we now know
as the Oxford Movement.
Keble, Newman and Pusey became the leaders of this movement which aimed to revive
the spiritual life of the church by supporting the parish clergy in their work.
They wrote a series of 'Tracts for the Times', they preached, they visited. But
they were never a formal Association, believing that 'living movements do not
come of committees'. Establishment figures were not pleased and some wild
stories circulated about the Movement's 'goings on'. But individuals all over
the country began to respond and to encourage each other. Effects were soon
noticed in the improvement of standards in publish worship and in the increase
in the Church's activity on behalf of the disadvantaged. The longer term
effects are still apparent now, where it is taken for granted that clergy are
trained for their role and where the Church takes its pastoral and social responsibilities
seriously.
So on 14 July when we
celebrate John Keble, scholar, writer, poet, spiritual counsellor and devoted
parish priest, we also celebrate the Oxford Movement which helped to bring new
life to the Church of England in the places where it counts - parish churches
all over the country.
Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall
see our God.
The secret of the Lord is theirs
Their soul is Christ's abode.
So wrote John Keble - and so
we still sing.
Pat Kingsbury
25 July
James was the son of Zebedee and one of the first disciples to be called by
Jesus to follow him. He was one of the three apostles to be chosen by Jesus to
bear witness to the Transfiguration. He is the patron saint of Spain and his
relics are said to be in Santiago de Compostela.
So why was this? It seems
that, after the Ascension, James travelled all the way to Spain on a missionary
journey. He won many converts and was so highly thought of in Spain, that when
he was put to death by Herod Agrippa after returning to Palestine, some Spanish
knights set out to try to find his body.
Legend says they did and
laid it on a boat to journey back. Some of the knights had their horses with
them and one horse, frightened by what was happening, plunged into the sea,
carrying its rider with it. Both were in danger of drowning and all those on
board invoked the help of St James and horse and rider were saved.
During the struggle in the
sea, numerous shells had attached themselves to the horse's harness. This is
supposed to be the reason that pilgrims visiting the shrine at Compostela where James's body was laid,
carry shells with them. To this day, all round the world, grottoes built of
shells are erected on StJames's day.
Jean Kimber
(Out of interest, the French
for scallop is "coquille de St Jacques", the German is "Jakobsmuschel" and the Dutch is "Jacobsschelp", showing direct influence of StJames on different languages.)
BAS or BUS … If a trawl of church dedications is any
guide, this may be a matter of choice. The saint featured in our June magazine
could be spelt Barnabas or Barnabus - and was, in the
'Saints and Commemorations' item! Was our editor hedging her bets or had she
just become absorbed in the life of St Barnabus at Dibley? Anyway, bless you for noticing.
Historic
Christian Sites in Britain
Canterbury (part 2)
Augustine landed in Kent in
597AD and made his headquarters at Canterbury. Ethelbert, King of Kent, had
married Bertha, a Frankish Christian, and although he was not a Christian, he
allowed Bertha to practise her faith.
She had brought her
chaplain, Bishop Liudhard, with her and they
worshipped at an old Christian site in Canterbury. There is good reason to
believe that this is the very place where St Martin's Church stands today,
almost certainly named after Martin of Tours (died 397), the former soldier
turned monk who evangelised Gaul.
If this is indeed the site
where Queen Bertha and later her husband Ethelbert worshipped, then what a
Christian heritage is here. Just think of it! In this year of grace 2008 we can
stand by St Martin's Church and know that, without a break, Trinitarian worship
has been offered on this site for at least 1400 years! That makes St Martin's
the oldest place of continuous worship in the land.
From Canterbury Augustine
and his monks began their evangelism and in a short time King Ethelbert
professed the Christian faith and was baptised. Ethelbert's kingdom stretched
as far north as the River Humber and he readily gave permission to Augustine to
carry the gospel across his kingdom.
Many pagans were converted
to Christianity and while Bede's story that Augustine
baptised ten thousand converts on one day is certainly an exaggeration, there
is no doubt that the work of evangelism made great advance.
Augustine only lived a few
years after his arrival in England. He died in 604/605,
having been earlier consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. That made Augustine
the first Archbishop of the English Church in a line that stretches from
Augustine to the present Archbishop, Rowan Williams. Because Augustine had made
Canterbury his headquarters and began building a church there, Canterbury was
known as his 'seat.' The Latin word for 'seat' is cathedra, hence Canterbury
Cathedral.
Down the centuries
Canterbury Cathedral has reflected the tides of history in the country. In the
12th century King Henry 11 took notice of a well-educated young man who was an
agent for the Archbishop, Theobald. The young man's name
was Thomas Becket (1120-1170). Henry made him Lord Chancellor of England and
the two men became close friends.
When Theobald
died Becket was made Archbishop in 1162. But if Henry thought that Becket would
do whatever the King wished he was soon disappointed…
Continued next month.
As we prepare ourselves for
the endless hot days that make our English summer(!), Alison Williams (mum of
chorister Jack) can think cool thoughts by remembering her trip to …..
At the end of February Nick,
Jack and I travelled to Luosto - a resort in the
National Park in Finnish Lapland, just inside the ~Arctic Circle.
In breathtakingly beautiful
surroundings, in deep snow and in sub-zero temperatures, we had some wonderful
adventures - including Husky mushing, a traditional
reindeer sleigh ride, ice-skating, cross-country ski-ing,
driving a skidoo and tobogganing.
As I usually do when I'm
away, I sought out the local church - and discovered that unless I found
transport to the nearest town (miles away!) I would need to use the chapel,
which turned out to be an igloo! A very pretty little building constructed of
ice blocks and snow, with an ice altar and a beautiful ice sculpture cared into
the wall. Every year the chapel is painstakingly rebuilt by the local people,
in a different location in the village and to a different design. It is
apparently a very popular place to get married, both with locals and visitors!
A Lappish person told me
that year on year the snowy season is getting a bit shorter, the snow a little
less deep and the temperatures slightly warmer - the effects of climate change
are becoming increasingly clear. Whatever the debate about the reasons for
global warming, I believe that if there is even the slightest chance that human
activity accelerates these harmful environmental changes, then it is my
responsibility to make sure that I do as little damage as possible. If nothing
else it would be to try to protect this amazing place that I have been lucky
enough to visit and enjoy.
Alison Williams
Bag Books was the charity chosen
to benefit from money raised at our recent Flower Festival. The following
letter of thanks has been received from the charity:
Dear Justine
I am writing to thank you
and the very kind people of St Mary's for the wonderful donation of £900. It is
just amazing how much was given, and everyone here at Bag Books is really
touched by your generosity which will help so many children to have fun with
their special stories.
Now, as Desmond has played a
major role at St Mary's and is right now attracting the attention and smiles of
passers by as he reclines in his frightfully smart yellow deckchair in the
window! we should like to put the donation towards the
production of his story for the coming year. It is still one of our most
popular stories and your gift will bring a great deal of pleasure to the
children who have yet to meet him.
On his behalf we thank you
for giving him a most relaxing yet stimulating holiday in his beautiful sensory
garden and for his holiday photograph, also proudly displayed in the window
with a short explanation! Our special relationship with the church is a joy.
On behalf of all the
children who will benefit, we thank you for the love, kindness and care and
time which has gone into supporting their needs.
Very best
wishes.
Chris Fuller
Director
Next time you get bored at
your desk, just try this. It was discovered by an orthopedic
surgeon, and will prove that your right foot isn't as smart as you thought it
was.
1. While sitting, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise
circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change
direction.
Told you so! There seems to
be nothing you can do about it. It's silly, trivial... but chances are, you'll attempt it again in a minute or two!
July 1988
Carousel offered
congratulations to, amongst others, Doris Potter, on her confirmation by the
Bishop of Woolwich at St Michael's. There was also an invitation to join the
ringers on their Outing to Bristol.
The Guides had been taking
part in an Outdoor Activities weekend at the Oaks Park Campsite. It had proved
popular with the girls, who had learnt to cook on an open fire, pitch tents,
make shelters and follow trails. Summer camps were being organised for both
Guides and Brownies.
Mary Tapp
wrote what she described as her "Swan Song" on behalf of the MU. She
had been Enrolling Member for the past six years and was to hand over to
Beverley Davis on July 21st. She was looking forward to September when she
would be able to "sit in the back row and relax".
Stewart Kimber's
Twenty Years Ago noted that in 1968, Christian Aid Week, under the organisation
of Bill and Frances Plain, had raised £68 14s 3d. (OK, whizz
kids - convert that one!) (Can do! Today's value is
£858.96. Ed.)
There was an article
entitled "Times Change" by Dudley Taylor. He wrote that the recent
joint meeting of the Guild and the MUOG was the last of those get-togethers. It
doesn't specifically explain why but my guess is that Guild members no longer
fancied sallying forth in the evenings.
(Is "old age"
further away than 20 years ago? I'm sure the Guild members of those times were
no older than many of us are now. Half our ringers are over 60 but luckily they
don't seem to mind the dark - or the stairs!)
Not to be outdone, Dudley's
wife, Marise had contributed some Townswomen's Guild
news. The members had heard all about the Body Shop, journeyed to India and Katmandu through the drawings of a
MrsJ.Lee and received advice on how to prevent crime
in the home.
As a result of a successful
Ploughman's Lunch, they were sending £100 to both Queen Mary's and Great Ormond
Street hospitals.
They were also off to see
"Ziegfeld" at the London Palladium.
There was a little bit of a
history lesson called
"400 Years Ago" from yours truly. It was, of course, relating to the
400th celebration of the Armada and correcting an item in a national newspaper
that erroneously placed SirWalter Raleigh in the
thick of it. With Beddington's connections with that gentleman, it had
been felt necessary to address this. He had been in Ireland at the time and
therefore unable to take any of the credit!
The editor had oddly decided
to fill a couple of blank spots with offerings apparently gleaned from Nick Kimber's English book. One was a passable sonnet on evening
rush hour and the other a vivid description of Victoria Underground Station. I
bet he doesn't remember writing those!
Jean Kimber
In July we have the Feast of
Thomas the Apostle. Thomas, of course, is best known as 'Doubting Thomas', but
he also bravely encouraged the other disciples to go to Judea with Jesus, and
he was the first to proclaim Jesus as, ' My Lord and my God'. Let us then pray
for all who struggle with their faith, all who are seeking the truth, and all
new Christians as they begin their journey of faith.
Our local community:
1 July All who are to be
confirmed today at St Nicholas Church, Sutton.
6 July Jean and Pierre renewing their wedding vows, and
all newlyweds.
13 July All attending 'Duck
Day' in the park
The World
All who suffer as a result
of wars and violence. Pray for our soldiers in Iraq
and Afghanistan, Iraqi Christian refugees, and all suffering for their faith in
Christ.
The people
of Zimbabwe - for peace, freedom and justice for all. For Aid agencies to be allowed to
help the hungry and the homeless.
The Church
4-8 July The
General Synod.
16 July- 3 Aug The Lambeth
Conference. The Archbishop of Canterbury and all attending.
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of fath
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which
is before,
we may run the way of your
commandments
and win the crown of everlasting
joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son
our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with
you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
(Collect for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity)