Saints
and Commemorations in October
Readings
for Sundays in October
Girls
in Harmony and Tuba Soloist.
Bible
Society launches Bring Your Bible to Work Day
Lead
on Church roofs a problem!
The
Marriage Measure and Marriage Law Review
Sun,
Sea and the Sound of Bells
When we were on holiday a
tornado ripped through the town that we were staying in in
Italy. A huge amount of damage was done to the trees around us; roofs were
ripped off houses, chimneys thrown through roofs and although there were no
serious injuries, a couple of people had to be carried out of their homes by
stretcher. As a result of the damage, electricity was cut off, and for a while
we had no idea when it would return.
Being a pessimistic Briton,
I used my mobile to contact our insurance company. If the disruption continued,
would they pay for us to return home. “Sorry love,
that’s an act of God. You’re not covered for those.”
Luckily power returned
within 24 hours and we were able to continue to enjoy our holiday.
One of the things we enjoyed
most was the starscape. Far away from the light
pollution of London it was amazing to look up at a cloudless night sky and see
thousands of stars twinkling above us, to catch sight of the Milky Way and to
recognise how small and fragile we are, even the earth is, as we saw ourselves
in the context of a corner of the universe. It was amazing to think of the
millions of years worth of light we saw before us –
stars whose light takes so long to reach us that as we watched them in “real
time” they no longer exist. It was miraculous, wonderful, leaving me
dumbfounded and awestruck as I contemplated this act of God. Over and over in
my mind I turned over that line from Graham Kendrick’s hymn the Servant King
“Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered.” and pondered
the greatness of God as well as the intimacy and particularity of the life of
Jesus.
In the recent TV drama set
in Auschwitz “God on Trial” by Frank Cottrell Boyce one of the prisoners
defending God asked “If we take happiness from God’s hand, must we not take
sorrow too?” In that context it was a profoundly challenging and difficult
question – where could God be in the context of the Holocaust? and that’s the question that the play went on to explore. At
the same time however, in our culture and context we perhaps need to ask the
reverse too. “If we are prepared to label sorrowful events as acts of God, do
we not need to label the joyful ones in the same way?” The insurance company would presumably have
told me that the night sky wasn’t an act of God but of nature, we think we make
our own good fortune while the bad comes from God.
If we can remember to give
thanks, to rejoice and to acknowledge the presence of God as we celebrate life
in all its fullness, then perhaps we are also rightly able to put God on trial
as the Psalmists did, as Job did, as the historical tradition so often does, as
our modern world does. But if we simply blame God, or use natural disasters as
evidence that God doesn’t exist while not considering the flip side, then
perhaps we’re far from being able to
conduct a fair trial.
Justine
(wrongly attributed by
Justine to Monica Furlong)
This is one of my favourite
prayers – I first came across it in the Common Worship Pastoral Resources and
return to it again and again. It speaks to me about God’s acceptance of us as
we are, and also about God’s healing and reconciling power to transform our
lives if we are willing to allow that to happen.
Intimate God, you are able
to accept in us what we cannot even acknowledge;
you have named in us what we cannot bear to speak of;
you hold in your memory what we have tried to forget;
you will hold out to us a glory we cannot imagine.
Reconcile us through your
cross to all that we have rejected in ourselves,
that we may find no part of your creation to be alien or strange to us,
and that we ourselves may be made whole,
through Jesus Christ, our lover and friend."
1st Wednesday
St Mary’s Guild meets at St
Mary’s Court 2:30pm
2nd Thursday
Praise and Play 10:00 Church
Centre
MU Meeting on Parenting 7:30
Church Centre
5th Sunday
Harvest Thanksgiving
9:30 Eucharist with Brownies
and Guides followed by Fiesta until
12:00 Bring and Share Lunch
7th Tuesday
Seeking Truth: Science,
Mystery and Human Identity
St Paul's Cathedral 7:30pm
12th Sunday
Trinity 21 Usual Service times
14th Tuesday
Seeking Truth: Science,
Mystery and Human Identity St Paul's Cathedral 7:30pm
15th Wednesday
Mother’s Union Corporate
Eucharist 10:00am Carew Chapel
16th Thursday
Praise and Play 10:00 Church
Centre
19th Sunday
Trinity 22 Usual Service times
21st Tuesday
Seeking Truth: Science,
Mystery and Human Identity St Paul's Cathedral 7:30pm
23rd Thursday
Sense Awards Lunch (see
Snippets)
26th Sunday
Last after Trinity
Dedication and Friends
Usual Service times
28th Tuesday
Social Committee meets at 2 Caraway
Place 7:30pm
Seeking Truth: Science,
Mystery and Human Identity St Paul's Cathedral 7:30pm
31st Friday
10:00—11:30 Kith, Kin and Kanine Church Centre.
7:30pm
Girls in
Harmony and Tuba Soloist. Traditional, Classic, Gospel and Folk. In Church £6.00 at the
door.
4 Francis
of Assisi, Friar, Deacon, Founder of the Friars Minor, 1226
10 Paulinus, Bishop of York, Missionary, 644
Thomas
Traherne, Poet, Spiritual Writer, 1674
12 Wilfrid of Ripon, Bishop, Missionary, 709
Elizabeth
Fry, Prison Reformer, 1845
Edith
Cavell, Nurse, 1915
13 Edward
the Confessor, King of England, 1066
15 Teresa
of Avila, Teacher of the Faith, 1582
18 Luke
the Evangelist
26 Alfred
the Great, King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899
28 Simon
and Jude, Apostles
31 Martin
Luther, Reformer, 1546
Sunday 5 October
Harvest festival
Readings presented by the
Guides and Brownies.
Sunday 12 October
Trinity 21
Exodus 32:1-14
Phillipians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14
Sunday 19 October
Trinity 22
Exodus 33:12-23
1Thessaloninas 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22
Sunday 26 October
Dedication and Friends
1 Kings 8:22-30
Hebrew 12:18-24
Matthew 21:12-16
Every Sunday we pray for
people living and working in two or three roads in the parish.
5 October
Aldwick Road and Lavington Road
12 October
Salcott Road and Cedars Road
19 October
Riverside Mews and Bridle
Path
26 October
Garratt Close
6 September
Gary Featherstone and
Michelle Richardson
John Richards and Nicola
Jones
14 September
Joanna Care Thompson
Alistair William Mcainnon Heron
Isla Mary Paterson-Ring
21 September
Charlie Hopkins
Samuel Warren Gurney
Cheryl Louise Gurney
9 September
Stanley Claude Upton
10 September
Alan Needham
18 September
Maurice Hughes
It was good to share Jean Kimber’s 50th anniversary of bell ringing at St
Mary’s. This is a remarkable record of
service and we wish Jean many more years of ringing.
About 17 parishioners
travelled to West Malling to take part in our ‘Quiet Day’. The theme this year was ‘Pilgrimage’ we had
the privilege of sharing with the Abbey Sisters their Eucharist. The sun shone and a good meditative day was
had by all.
Hugh Crozier and Pam Akhurst
entertained a large audience on 6th September, with their music and
singing. This was entertainment of the
highest standard and was enjoyed by all.
We look forward to next year! Or
perhaps sooner!
Paul and Elizabeth Goodridge
would like to thank all those who attended their ‘At Home’. There was a steady stream of parishioners
joining them throughout the day.
Elizabeth would like to thank all those who gave her such thoughtful
gifts. Next time perhaps we will be able
to venture outside and have the promised barbecue!
On 23 October Justine and Pat will attend the Sense
Awards as St Mary’s has been nominated for an award for the work that we have
done with Therese and Matthew. Although
we seek no reward for being a good neighbour it is nice to have the warmth of
the St Mary's welcome recognised.
Those of you visiting the
Carew Chapel for our morning services will have noticed the face-lift it has
received of new chairs, carpet and curtain.
Thanks to a generous bequest from Scottie Bishop the chapel has been
restored as a quiet and prayerful spot.
On the 20th November
we will be attending the Confirmation Service at Holy Trinity Wallington to
support our candidates. There is still time to join the groups run by Paul (Adults)
and Justine (Young People) let them know if you want to be included.
London Open House was a
successful event, attracting many visitors who were appreciative of the special
nature of St Mary's. It was a privilege
to be asked to open our Church and to welcome so many people both from the
locality and beyond.
This month’s Theological
Book Club book is ‘The Shadow of the Galilean’ by Gerd
Theissen. If
you wish to join in please see Justine or Paul.
Good Luck to all St Mary’s
Boys and Girls who are starting at new schools this Autumn.
Good luck to:
Felix and
James who have moved to Ely Cathedral Choir School.
Esi Adams who goes to Brighton University and
Best wishes and thanks to
James Pedrick, our Organ Scholar who is off to Exeter
University.
Welcome to Catherine Boxall
our new Organ Scholar. Catherine has
just completed her course at Bath University and will be teaching music in
local schools. Catherine has already
worked with the Choir, when she joined them for the German Tour, There she helped
with rehearsals and played the organ at one of concerts.
(Editors Note: If we have missed anyone let me know and we
will give them a mention in our next edition)
Stop Press….Stop Press…….Stop Press …
We have just sent Christian
Aid a cheque for £102. This was the
proceeds of our Tea Time Event on 19th September. Congratulations and thanks to the cooks and
waitresses for a delicious afternoon tea, and especially for their after-school
tea menu which attracted an appreciative young clientele.
Last Friday in each month
10:00 to 11:30 The Church Centre.
Everyone Welcome for Coffee,
Tea and Cake. Bring someone with
you!
Traditional, Classic, Gospel
and Folk
Friday 31st October 7:30pm
In Church
Tickets £6.00
at the door.
Sunday 2nd of November 2008
6:30pm
A service
of remembrance for loved ones.
Saturday 22 November
11:00 am to 3:00pm
All the
usual stalls, raffles, Tombola, Crazy Fun Corner and
refreshments.
Alternate Thursdays at
10:00am
Dates and Events for this
Term
2 October- God cares for Me
16 October – The Good
Shepherd
6 November – Mary and the
Angel
20 November – Sharing the
Special News
4 December – A Family for
Jesus
18 December- A Stable in
Bethlehem
Many thanks to those of you
who helped me and my family celebrate my 50 years ringing at Beddington. (And a
special "thank you" to those who said I didn't look old enough!) I
have been asked to explain how it all came about and to share some of my
experiences with you.
So how did it all begin? I
was with some of my family in a village called Trumpington
just outside Cambridge and a friend of theirs came to tea. She said she had to
leave by 7 o'clock because it was the bell ringers practice night and she was
the Tower Captain. She asked me if I'd like to go and watch. I went. Then came
the life-changing question - "Would you like to have a go?" We all
know the answer!
The lady's name was Kitty Willers and, in an era where men dominated the activity,
hers was a famous name. She taught me to handle a bell and introduced me to the
mysteries of change ringing. I found it both fascinating and a challenge and I
was hooked.
Back down south, my father
told me there was a church in Beddington Park that had bells. Contact was made,
I joined the band, met Stewart - and the rest is history!
It was very poignant that on
the day of my celebration in church, on the "Years Mind" list were
two people involved in those beginnings. Kate Duke was my aunt whose friend was
Kitty Willers and Frank Jennings was the Tower Captain here who
encouraged me in the early months.
As most of you know, Stewart
and I had two sons, Nick and Chris, who like their
father before them, graduated from choristers to bell ringers, though they both
continued singing as well. (This made for very lucrative summers in the days
when we had 40 - 50 weddings!) Nick started when aged 10 and Chris when he was
nine. Nick has gone on to greater heights; I don't mind him being better than
me - honestly I don't! Professional musicians have very little spare time, so
we don't see a lot of Chris but he comes when he can.
Ringing for me isn't a hobby
- it's a way of life. After 50 years of Thursday night practices and twice on
Sundays for services, you can't remember what it was like not to ring. It's an
unchanging routine and there are thousands of ringers doing the same thing all
round the world.
But ringing isn't all about
duty to your church, although that is the priority. Ringing is teamwork and we
learn to rely on each other. We build up trust and this carries on in life
outside ringing. In the case of St Mary's band, we socialise together in
several ways. Ringers are often associated with pubs - with good reason! After a (fairly) strenuous evening, we're in
need of liquid refreshment and it's a good opportunity to sit and relax, mull
over the evening's work and get to know each other better. We're also known for
our curry evenings, when someone's birthday is celebrated after practice.
Contrary to the custom in
many places, most of St Mary's ringers attend our church. Reasons why ringers
don't attend church are varied. In some areas, shortages of
ringers means the same band has to go round ringing in several churches
on a Sunday. It's true that there are ringers who have no interest in the
church, only in the ringing and though some clergy and congregations deplore
this, many of us feel that at least the bells are kept ringing, advertising the
presence of the church.
During my 50 years I have
rung in well over 1,000 churches at home and abroad. Each one is different and
I have been asked to share some of the highlights with you. Watch this space!
Jean Kimber
Society.
Jean Kimber
October 12
Wilfrid was born in Northumbria about 633. He studied at Lindisfarne and then at Canterbury. In 658 he was given a
monastery at Ripon and soon after, he was ordained priest.
In 665 he was consecrated to
the See of York. He was a keen proponent of a liturgy that included music and
sent for a singing master to instruct his clergy in the Roman manner of church
music. He also introduced the Rule of St Benedict in the monasteries he
founded. He died in 709 and was buried in Ripon.
October 20
Acca was also born in Northumbria and was educated in the
Benedictine manner. He was a contemporary of Wilfrid,
who appointed him abbot of St Andrew's monastery in Hexham. In 709, when Wilfrid died, Acca succeeded him
as Bishop of Hexham.
Like Wilfrid,
Acca was very keen to include music in his services.
He was particular about every detail of his church, organising the services and
music to make them the best possible offering to God. He died in 742 and was
buried in Hexham. Of the two Celtic crosses erected at his graveside, one still
remains to this day.
On their special days, let
us pray for choirs and other musicians of all churches.
Almighty God who has led all
to make music to your praise and glory, bless, we beseech you, organists,
musicians and choirs in your church, that as they lead the worship of your
faithful people here on earth, so hereafter they may be found worthy to sing
your praise above.
After the ‘curates egg’ of
the last edition, I have returned to the original format and have at last, I
hope, mastered the ‘text box’. Thank you
to all who made their comments known to me so that I could work on the thoughts
and ideas expressed.
The magazine is an important
part of the life of St Mary’s community and informs all we do. I appreciate the
sense of ownership felt by many for this magazine. Perhaps that sense could be transformed into
regular and interesting contributions. I
look forward to your ideas, articles and artwork.
God bless you,
Paul
ZIMBABWE.
I thought I would give you
some facts and reflections of my trip to Zimbabwe, a trip which has changed my
perspective on many things and has challenged but also strengthened my faith.
I was one of 20 Members of
the Croydon Area to visit Zimbabwe, Midlands, to renew links and to fact find.
We were accommodated in homes and work alongside local priests and
congregations. In this way we could experience at first hand life as it was,
not as the local Government would have us believe.
I stayed with 2 families:
Alice and Davis:
In their 70’s retired but
pensions made valueless by inflation. Forced to work their small holding to make food and ends meet. Met their daughter and
grandson who lived in Victoria Falls. Good Christian people who were
prayerful and open in their attitude.
The Rukato
family:
40 year old widow with 5
children, forced to move to their house by a clearance by Mugabe’s
security police. Good Christian family,
very welcoming and open.
Zimbabwe is a country rich
in natural resources and people, but poorly governed. Human rights abuses are a daily occurrence as
are shortages of: Water, Food, Power and basic medicines. There is a thriving black market fuelled by
the Police and Army who regularly confiscate goods and then sell them on. Corruption is rife.
Many people have left seeing
no future in the country under its current leaders. There was no particular
hope that opposition would initiate the changes needed to make Zimbabwe a great
nation again. There was a great deal of
poverty. Money was tight and there was little, if any, for luxuries. There was a great deal of make do and mend
and Davis had a van with no reverse, so he drove around on routes which
required no reversing, or we got out and pushed. All were affected and worried by inflation
and the lack of food and other supplies. They could not see a bright future for
anyone. One of the sons of the Rukato family would have to wait to go to university until
his younger sister was through her schooling.
There was no work for him or for anyone from his year at school.
The Church and people of the
UK have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe. That is what being a community of faith truly
means. How community builds churches and
how certainty of message gives comfort to those in distress. How we can be more
prayerful How
the Holy Spirit sometimes appears absent by the reserved way in which some
churches worship. I liked the mix of
traditional and energetic worship. Above all the declaration
of their Christianity and the openness of their faith.
They reaffirmed to me that
faith is about God not about circumstances, we worship God because he is God
not for what he can do for us. Faith is something lived,
you live your life in faith. Loving your neighbour is about practical love as
well as a doctrine. God is in all things and everyone. Things will ultimately
be right because of God. Faith is a joyful life giving thing, something to be
shared.
I left sad for a country of
such potential and such poverty, for a people who showed me so much about faith
and about love but seemed unloved by the World.
Pray for them and above all let us show our faithful generosity to this
faithful and generous people who like us love and acknowledge Jesus Christ.
Paul
(Starts in the November Edition)
We hope this will be regular
feature where we will have contributions from the wider community we serve. We
hope to be able to fill this part with news about clubs, shops, events that are
in our Parish and around its borders. Have
you a contribution for the next magazine?
‘A’ Level
Religious Studies
The increase in the number
of students taking the religious studies A-level indicates the extent to which
young people regard faith as an important part of their lives, says the Church
of England Press Office. More than 20,100 students will open envelopes for
religious studies A-level, marking a 5.9 per cent increase on last year.
Eighty-one per cent of those students will achieve A-C grades.
The number of students
opting for the religious studies A-level has grown year-on-year for the last
five years.
Nick McKemey,
the Church of England’s Head of School Improvement, said the steady increase in
the number of students taking religious studies “demonstrates that students
appreciate the importance of faith in today’s society."
“These figures present a
significant challenge to those who would present modern society as wholly
secular,” he said.
Christians across the
country will be taking their Bibles to the office, school or building site on
Monday 27 October, as Bible Society launches Bring Your Bible to Work Day. It
is hoped that thousands of churchgoers will slip a Bible in their briefcase, or
pack Scripture with their sandwiches, to mark the special day.
The event is a follow-up to
Bible Sunday, which takes place on 26 October. Churches across the country will
be unearthing the riches of the Bible again during services on during the day,
supported by free resources from Bible Society. Bible Society hopes that the
morning after unearthing the Bible’s riches – on Bible Monday – Christians will
want to make the Bible part of everyday life by taking its message with them.
The initiatives are part of
Bible Society’s mission to make God’s Word heard, by connecting it with
everyday life and making its life-changing message available around the world.
Bible Sunday resources can
be downloaded or ordered from www.biblesunday.org
A church leader in east
London is concerned about rules which instruct churches to use lead on their
roofs despite it being a target for thieves. Soaring metal prices have
encouraged thieves to steal lead from roofs of four churches in Wanstead and
Woodford over the past year. English Heritage guidance recommends lead is used
on buildings because of its durability and performance. But the Reverend
Rosalind Selby said it left churches open to being targeted.
The Minister of the Wanstead
United Reformed Church said her church was targeted by thieves but she was able
to use a substitute material because it was not a listed building. But there is
an application pending, so this could change if it did become listed. "When
the thieves get up there they can see it is not lead and they are not attracted
to get back," said Mrs Selby. "People are being forced to replace
like-for-like and with the market for lead being as it is at the moment it is
leaving churches open to being targeted again." But English Heritage said:
"It [lead] performs extremely well as a roofing material.
"It can easily be repaired and much of it comes from recycled
sources. It is also authentic and beautiful." But the organisation said
that if lead is not immediately affordable, it recommends owners find a
temporary replacement solution such as felt which can last as long as 10 years.
It said: "The theft of metal from church roofs is an irresponsible and
disheartening crime, attacking the spiritual, communal and architectural
backbone of our villages, towns and cities. "We
sympathise with those who look after churches and are faced with such
vandalism. "
The Church of England has
been considering for some time possible alternatives to the calling of banns
and widening the choice of places in which couples can marry. The Marriage Law
working group was established by the Archbishops Council in October 2002
following the debate in the General Synod in July 2002 on The Challenge to
Change. The details of the proposals and the means by which the Marriage Law
working group envisaged that church legislation would give effect to them were
inextricably bound up with Government proposals to reform the civil registration
system. However, when the Government decided not to proceed with their reforms,
the group embarked on a more limited programme of reform regarding the place of
marriage and certain ecumenical issues relating in a new marriage measure.
In July 2007, the General
Synod overwhelmingly passed the Church of England Marriage Measure and it
received the Royal Assent on 22nd May.The Archbishops
have now signed an instrument bringing all the provisions of the Measure into
force from 1st October 2008.
The Measure seeks to respond
to changing social conditions and in particular to the increasing mobility of
our society today. does not affect the existing right
of parishioners. A couple continue to have the right to be married in the
parish church of a parish where one or both of them are resident or entered on
the electoral roll.
However some people would
like to marry in a church because it has special significance for them, even
though it is not where they live. This measure enables a church to offer the
same welcome to a couple who wish to marry there and who can demonstrate a
straightforward connection with the parish as it does to those who live in the
parish itself, without the couple having to apply for a special licence.
The object of the Measure is
to grant couples the same right to marry in the parish church of a parish with
which one or both of them can demonstrate a "qualifying connection"
of a kind specified in the new legislation as a person resident in the parish
would have.
The Marriage Measure changes
will mean from October 1 an engaged couple are welcome to be married in church
in a parish, not only if one of them lives or worships there, but also if just
one of these applies:
- one
of them was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish;
- one
of them has ever lived in the parish for six months or more;
- one
of them has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six
months or more;
- one
of their parents has lived in the parish for six months or more in their
child’s lifetime;
- one
of their parents has regularly attended public worship there for six months or
more in their child’s lifetime;
- their
parents or grandparents were married in the parish.
The PCC discussed the
measure at their recent meeting and agreed that it should be advertised on the
web-site. All future applications will
be administered under this measure and may increase bookings for wedding at St
Mary’s. If you or youknow
of anyone who might wish to be married at St Mary’s let Justine or Paul know.
We'll begin with a box, and
the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes
oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two
are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose
should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or
a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is
houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is
always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of
pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and
show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would
a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a
whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of
booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and
three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would
never be hose,
And the plural of cat is
cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and
also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we
never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns
are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine:
she, shis and shim!
Let's face it - English is a
peculiar language.
Victorian
Motherhood.
On 4th September, Mother’s
Union members and others were given a very interesting talk by Jackie Egerton
on Victorian Motherhood. She said that
the 19th century evangelical movement had a great influence on family life. Life became strict, serious and
puritanical. Mothers were to be the
spiritual and moral centre of the family home.
Her role was eulogised in women’s magazines—she was to be the power
behind the creating and training of fine upstanding, moral, ethical children of
the future. Their diaries show that many
of these women spent many hours in every kind of good works. As well as teaching and training her children
and overseeing a well run household, she visited the poor, the sick and those
in workhouses; she taught in Sunday School.
Working class women too were
encouraged to keep their homes clean and tidy, to teach their children to be
controlled, well mannered and well behaved.
They were expected to be busy at all times, cooking, cleaning, knitting,
sewing etc. These paragons were always
busy and never seemed to sit still. They formed the bedrock of the society and
made many sacrifices for their children.
Thursday 2.10.08 7:30pm
The Church Centre
‘Parenting’
All are welcome to come to
the meeting where we will explore the possibility of a ‘Parenting Course.’ Justine will be speaking on what initiatives
are current in the parish.
A small fleet of cars
ferried St Mary's ringers and friends down to Southampton for their annual
Outing. (This venue was chosen because I knew I would get help in the form of
elder son, Nick, who lives and rings there.) There are six towers in Southampton,
one with six bells, three with 10 and two with 12.
The first port of call -
appropriate phrase, as the Boat Show was in full swing - was the very light
ring of six in St Barnabas church. The incumbent is a ringer and installed
these bells in 2002. The Tenor weighs just under 3
cwt. For comparison, ours weighs 18½ cwt. Three ringers stand in the church and
three in the porch - one practically out of the door! The very light bells
caused a few problems initially but we got used to them.
From there we travelled to
St Mary's, South Stoneham. This pretty church is situated down a little lane
and is difficult to find without local knowledge. It has a ring of three of its
own, hung in a straight line inside the west door and also houses the
University mini ring called The Hartley Twelve. Basically, a mini ring is one
with a tenor of less than 25 lbs; there are often no stays or sliders and the
handling style is quite different. The Hartley Twelve
Tenor weighs 15 lbs 11 ozs. The incumbent is a ringer
and enthusiastically showed off the bells and helped people to get to grips
with them. With people ringing the three at the west end at the same time as
the 12 at the other, we had some fun there!
St Nicholas, North Stoneham,
should have been next but there was no one around when we arrived. Nick rang
the Vicar who mistook us for a "Heritage Tour" due that afternoon. No
amount of explanation convinced him, so when we finally tracked down the local
who was meant to have met us, it was too late. However, the beautiful sunny day
- specially ordered - meant our wait in the very rural churchyard, was really
quite a pleasure.
Packed lunches were taken at
the home of Nick and Tracey, where a couple of dozen of us spread throughout
their house and garden. The bunnies were much admired and the trampoline was a
great attraction for the younger generation.
As Nick had the keys for the
remaining churches, there was no further chance of a "lock-out".
The church of the Ascension,
Bitterne Park, used to have a ring of eight light
bells. Earlier this year they were augmented to 12, making them one of the
lightest rings of 12 in the world. We enjoyed some very good ringing here.
The church is rather
surprising. Outside it is modern-looking and brick-built but inside there are
some fantastic stained glass windows. There is one of the ship
Henry V Grace Dieu, built on the local River Itchen
and still lying sunk in the nearby River Hamble.
There are 24 in all, ranging from a Slave Market in Zanzibar to the Hampton
Court Conference and Christ in Glory in the stunning east window.
Next came the
tortuous route through the City where even Nick's "Idiot Guide"
caused several of us problems. We all made it though and faced the long climb
up to the 10 bells - 84 steps were counted by one young lady. (Phew - should
have come here first!) These bells are just a little heavier than ours and
sound really nice. As the church stand in Southampton's Red Light District, we
assumed our churchyard parking permits were to identify our reason for being there!
There being no general
parking at our last tower, St Michael's, we ran a shuttle service using
disabled badges to park. The 10 bells there are easy to ring and rounded off
the day nicely. Some of us elected to walk back through the late afternoon sunshine.
Then it was off to the King
Rufus at Chandlers Ford for our evening meal together. There was so much lovely
food, it was difficult to get up to go home. It was a
shame we missed one tower (but they were the worst bells of the day, so…..) but
apart from that, it was a most successful Outing. My thanks go to Nick for his
help and hospitality and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves.
Jean Kimber
Martin Luther, Monk, Priest,
Biblical Scholar and Preacher, was born and lived all his life in Saxony. After study at the University of Erfurt, he became a Monk and was ordained Priest. He soon began teaching at the (then) new
University of Wittenburg where he became Professor of
Biblical Theology. He was also a renowned preacher. Luther spoke to the ’man in the street’
relating the scriptures to everyday life.
He also translated parts of the Bible into vernacular German, so that
anyone had the opportunity to read the Gospels for themselves. He also became Prior
of his Abbey and ’District Vicar’ in charge of eleven other houses.
As a Monk, Luther , was faithful to the Rules of his Order,. As a scholar he was struggling with
uncertainties about the medieval Roman Catholic Theology that was taught in
Universities. He became convinced that
the most important message about Christianity is that sinners are saved by God
through their faith rather than by following church rules and doing good
works. He was also concerned with the
abuses in the church and decided to do something about it.
So on 31st October 1517, All
Saints Eve he pinned his famous 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. Written
in Latin, these Theses were intended for discussion and debate and not for rabble
rousing. They did not openly attack the
Pope or the traditional teaching of the church, but they did stress the
spiritual character of Christianity and they did query many contemporary
practices,.
Controversy followed and
Luther was tried at the Diet ( Church Court) in the town of Worms. He was excommunicated in 1521. Like others before and after him (e.g. the Wesleys in England) he never wanted to leave the
Church. But by pointing out a variety of
perverse practices which were against Church doctrine he precipitated the
Protestant Reformation in Europe and the Lutheran Church was born.
The Lutheran Church is one
of the oldest and largest Christian families of the Protestant tradition. It is strongest in Northern Europe and places
were Germans and Scandinavians have settled.
So when we remember Martin Luther on 31st October, let us also pray for
the Protestant tradition in Europe and overseas.
(With permission)
The advice I always give to
young people who want to make a living by writing is to read George Orwell’s
brilliant essay, Politics and the English language. In it he took a passage of English from the
Authorised Version of the Bible and translated it into bad modern prose—the
sort you might find in Business Reports ( he wrote
this in 1946, which proves the problem isn’t new)
His example of good English,
full of vivid images and concrete nouns came from Ecclesiastes, ‘ I returned and saw under the sun, that the
race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to
the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding. Nor yet favour to men of
skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all.’
Now here is Orwell’s
translation of that into bad, abstract, modern English:
‘Objective considerations of
contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in
competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate
capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably
be taken into account.’
(with
permission)
A self-important university
student attending a recent football match took it upon himself to explain to a
senior citizen sitting next to him why it was virtually impossible for the
older generation to understand his generation.
‘You grew up in a different world—actually,
almost a primitive one,’ the student said loudly enough for many of those
nearby to hear. ‘The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes,
space travel, men walking on the moon.
We have nuclear energy, and electric and hydrogen cars; computers with
high speed processing and more.’
After a brief silence the,
the senior citizen responded as follows:
‘You are right son, we
didn’t have those things when we were young, so we had
to invent them. Now you arrogant little *@!! What are you doing for the next
generation?’
Growing old is mandatory;
growing up is optional.
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
It’s frustrating when you
know all the answers but no one asks you the questions.
Wisdom comes with age, but
sometimes age comes alone.
Wrinkles don't hurt.
To End
If of thy mortal goods
Thou art bereft
And of thy store alone
Two loaves are left
Sell one,
And with the dole
Buy hyacinths
To feed
thy soul.
(Sadi 1248 AD ‘The Rose
Garden’)
October
1988
Carousel informed us that
four of our youngsters had been the new GCSE guinea pigs. Terry Braim, Amanda Freeman, Chris Kimber and Charlotte Tennant
had acquitted themselves well and were now embarking on A-level courses. (Chris
recalls that the very first question of the very first GCSE paper - Geography -
was incorrect. It asked them to name the place given by a grid reference. It
was in the middle of the sea!)
The installation of the new
heating system was due to start on October 4, to be completed by Christmas. The
congregation was asked to pray for an extended Indian Summer.
Will we need those prayers again?
The Boys' Brigade now
totalled nearly 70 members and the Townswomens Guild were looking forward to a concert at the Barbican.
The Guides & Brownies
reported that they were about to open their first Rainbow Unit in Beddington.
Rainbow Units are for the 5 - 7 year-olds with their own Promise. I hadn't
realised those Units had been going so long.
Colin West challenged us to
consider taking on teaching in Junior Church. There was a serious lack of
leaders and they were having to turn away many young
people all because of insufficient provision.
An article entitled
"Bristol Rovers" and written by "Mrs Pauline Mole" was an
account of the ringers'
trip to Bristol. Despite a dire weather forecast, no umbrella or mackintosh
suffered during the day. They rang in five churches in the City, including the
Cathedral and St Mary Redcliffe - voted the highlight
of the day. It is a magnificent church, built more on the lines of a cathedral
than a parish church. It houses an excellent ring of 12 bells with a tenor of
50 cwt. Most impressive. On the way home they rang at
East Ilsley and rounded off the day at The Swan.
There were contributions
from the Mothers Union, the Guild and Beddington Floral
Our local
community:
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that you love us
Whatever qualifications we hold, or whatever path we
take.
Help us, wherever we can,
To follow in the footsteps of your son,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The World
Lord God, we live in
disturbing days:
across the world,
prices rise, debts increase, banks collapse, jobs are taken
away,
and fragile security is under threat.
Loving God, meet us in our
fear and hear our prayer:
be a tower of strength amidst the shifting sands,
and a light in the darkness;
help us receive your gift of peace,
and fix our hearts where true joys are to be found,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Church
GraciousGod,
ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love;
we worship you.
We confess that too often
our words hurt others and our deeds are selfish;
forgive us.
In this time of uncertainty
and fear,
help us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate
us,
in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord, we cannot always make
sense of what is happening to us. Help us to trust you, help us to have big
ideas and help us to rely to you to make them happen.
Amen.