Readings
for Principal Services in January
Principal
Dates and Festivals in 2009
Church
Featured in Louis Theroux Programme Fined.
Churches
Launch ‘Year of the Child’
Epiphany
Mexican King's Cake (La Rosca de Reyes)
Heard
in the Post Office Queue
The
Story of the Beddington Park Friday Morning Walks
An
answer to a recent controversy!
Whence is that goodly
fragrance flowing?
Apparently smell is the
sense that has the strongest memories associated with it. I’m not sure if
that’s true – but there are definitely some smells that take me back to my
childhood – the smell of my Mum’s winter coat that I used to snuggle up to
during the first bit of church always takes me to a place of safety and
security; rose scented geraniums make me think of ice cream outside in hot
summers; chicken roasting is all about Sunday dinner. And there are of course
some smells I’d rather forget. But smells carry with them far more than
scent-bearing molecules, they bring a whole world with
them.
I wonder if that is what the
author of the carol “Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing?” was getting at? The idea of a smell reaching out to us across centuries and still
carrying meaning. But what is that goodly fragrance? Is it the smell of
the stable in Bethlehem – all the animals that tradition has crammed in there –
ox, ass, donkey, sheep, never mind grown ups and a tiny baby? If so, did the
author of the carol ever smell a stable? Or is it the smell of something else,
something that we can’t put our finger, or nose, on; the smell of holiness?
That seems to be what the
carol is suggesting, that the beautiful fragrance “sweeter than all the flowers
in May” is what helps us to recognise the Christ, the Messiah, the one who has
come to save us. The scent helps us to recognise holiness in the most unlikely
of places, a crammed stable in Bethlehem.
That’s what the season of
Epiphany is all about – seeing God in the most unlikely places – in a stable,
at a wedding reception, in the pouring of water in the river Jordan.
The season of Epiphany is when we remember the “making visible” of God in Christ.
As in our own epiphany moments when things suddenly click into place, this
season is one when we remember those moments in the life of Christ when his
power and his presence became clear to those around him.
Epiphany is often a “lost
moment” in the church and in our lives, as increasingly we have no time to stop
or stare. The joy of Christmas is over, the gloom of
January is upon us. But epiphany moments are vital. If we don’t recognise the
true meaning of events, the hidden layers, if we never have “Ah ha” moments,
then we are sleepwalking through life. It’s when we see beyond, into another
dimension, into the hidden depths of life that we can really grow and develop.
We’d never see in the person before us our life-partner, never read a significance into those nagging voices in our heads
encouraging us to go on and try different things. We’d never get out there and
test ourselves.
It is like that with the Christian story. If the events of
the stable stayed in the stable, if they weren’t recognised and shared, then
they would have no value. It is only through the shepherds and the wise men
recognising and passing it on, through the events at the wedding in Cana; Jesus’ own recognition of his calling at his baptism
that we get a chance to hear and to recognise for ourselves God’s saving love
in action. It is only when we recognise the events, the times when God breaks
through into this earth that we can proclaim God in all that we do. And it is
only when we open our eyes to the possibility of epiphany in all the places,
secular and holy, private and public, smelly or clean that we encounter and are
encountered by God that we can get to know the God who came among us, to be one
of us. The fragrance of our God is the fragrance of the world – sweet and sour,
fresh and cloying. That to God is a goodly fragrance.
1 New Year’s Day
4 Epiphany Services at usual times
7 Fund Raising Working Group meeting at Rectory 8pm
8 Bell Ringers AGM 7:45pm
Servers
Festival at Southwark Cathedral 12pm
Westminster Abbey Day of Prayer
11 Baptism of Christ Services at usual times
Wandle Walk meet at Carshalton
Station 10:35 am
18 2nd after Epiphany Services at Usual
times
Churches Together Wallington and Beddington
‘Service for
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Wallington Baptist Church, 6:30pm
21 The Poetry Circle St Mary’s Centre 2-4pm The work of R S
Thomas
Meditation on Christian Unity St Mary’s
Church 7pm.
25 The conversion of St Paul Services at usual times.
Epiphany Carol Service 6:30pm
26 PCC Meeting St Mary’s Centre 8pm.
1st February Candlemas
Have you ever thought you
would like to read with a bit more focus, perhaps with others so that you could
exchange ideas on what you were reading?
Now is your opportunity! We
are going to run a short literature course on two novels which explore
psychological journeys from innocence to experience. The course will take place
on four Monday mornings from 10-12noon. The cost for each session is £3 which
will go to church funds.
On Monday 2nd and 9th of
February we will discuss Ian McEwan's
recent novel ‘Atonement’.
On Monday 2nd and 9th of
March we will go on to look at Joseph Conrad's 19th century novel ‘The Heart Of Darkness’. Please contact Jackie Egerton on 0208 395 8239
for further details.
Mothers
Union Deanery Epiphany Service 6th January 2pm St Barnabas Church, Sutton.
The Epiphany Carol Service
will take place on 25th January at 6.30pm. It is an opportunity to remember
those places where we encounter Christ in the Biblical stories – with the Wise
Men, at the wedding in Cana, at the moment of Jesus’
baptism and in the breaking of bread and wine. It is also a chance for us to
remember and to give thanks for the places where we encounter God in our lives
today – in nature, in worship, with each other.
As part of the service we
will be remembering the gifts presented to the infant Jesus by those strangers
from the East. As part of that, we will be using a small pot of incense (as
well as gold and hopefully some real Myrrh). We can promise you that there
won’t be billowing clouds, just the goodly fragrance that the ancient world
believed marked out places where God was present (the fragrance of holiness)
and which ancient Israel believed helped to carry prayers to God.
2008 began with the
Pilgrimage to Jordan and Israel in January, and there were expeditions of all
kinds throughout the year, including the Choir’s Concert Tour in Germany, and
nearer to home a coach outing to Wisley Gardens.
Staying at home we welcomed,
and provided refreshments for, hundreds of visitors at the Flower Festival over
the May Bank Holiday, during the London Open House Weekend in September and on
many Sunday afternoons in the summer. In
July we were all out in the park for Duck Day when the Wandle
was filled with racing yellow plastic ducks and the riverbank lined with families
picnicking and trying their hand at duck-related activities.
Brain cells have also been
active at the Theology Book Club and, for a fascinated few, at St Paul's
Cathedral evening lecture series. Poetry
for Pleasure provided food for thought as well as companionship and the monthly
Kith Kin and Kanine Coffee Mornings open to all and led by Carolyn served
‘really wicked’ cake and coffee to a growing clientele.
The social year was crowned
with an early Christmas fair when we raised a record £2,100 for Church Funds, that was an enormous effort for many people, well
done everyone.
(Has anyone other memories of 2008 to share?— Paul)
And so to 2009 watch all the
spaces for:
The
Ringers Quiz Night and another ‘event' over the May Bank Holiday.
A return visit from the Albinoni String Quartet for a ‘Concert plus’ on Saturday 6th June.
All the bravest Teddies of
the neighbourhood will be abseiling down the Tower on Sunday 12th July
…… and that is only the
first half of the year.
4th January Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
11th January Baptism of Christ
Genesis 1:1-5
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
18th January 2nd After
Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Revelation 5: 1-10
John 1:43-51
25th January Conversion of St Paul
Jeremiah 1: 4-10
Acts 9: 1-22
Matthew 19: 27—end
Every Sunday we pray for
people living and working in two or three roads in the parish.
4th January 2009
Northway
Clifford Avenue
11th January 2009
Southway
Darcy Avenue
18th January 2009
Eastway
Greenway
Grassway
25th January 2009
Rectory Lane
The Bridleway
Funerals
Sarah Bridger 9th December
2008
Anne Davies 10th December
2008
Welcome
We welcome three new boys as
they are enrolled as full members of the Choir.
Well done Sam, Oliver and Jack.
Hand bell ringers' second childhood?
We were entertaining the
residents of Gresham House in Hurst Green on December 7, a place we've been
visiting for nearly 20 years, when one 102-year-old lady waylaid Pat Kingsbury
and asked her what was a) the drink she had? and b)
what was on her plate?
Having established the lady
was blind, Pat answered "sweet sherry and a mince pie". She then
asked the lady if she'd enjoyed the entertainment. "Oh yes," was the
reply, "I always enjoy the children". (Well, she was over 30 when
most of us were born!)
A True blessing
Congratulations to Paul and
Rebecca on the birth of Luke.
Thank you Dee
We are sorry that Dee Hyatt
has resigned from the Social Committee. Dee already has a very busy day job and
is closely involved in the work of The Friends of Beddington Park and there are
only 24 hours in a day. Many thanks to Dee for all she has done over the years,
first as a member and then as Chair of the St Mary’s Social Committee.
Thank you Carolyn
Thanks to Carolyn Churchyard
for all she has done particularly the establishment of ‘Kith, Kin and Kanine.’
She has decided to bow out for the moment but part of her legacy will continue
every last Friday morning in the month when we will continue to welcome visitors for Coffee
and Cake.
Wateraid
Thanks to a generous donation
by the Link School of half their collection from their carol service, and the
‘Big Christmas Card Appeal, we have raised well over our target of £75.
Westminster Abbey Annual Day of Prayer:
Friends in Heaven
10 January 2009 at 10.00am led by The Right Reverend Jack Nicholls former Bishop of
Sheffield
St Margaret’s Church (with
access to the Abbey throughout)
Saturday 10 January 2009 10:00 - 2:45
3:00pm Evensong in the Abbey
Further details: The Canons'
Secretary
+44 (0)20 7654 4805
Ash Wednesday 25 February 2009
Palm Sunday 5 April 2009
Good Friday 10 April 2009
Easter Day 12 April 2009
Ascension Day 21
May 2009
Pentecost 31 May 2009
Trinity Sunday 7
June 2009
Harvest 4 October 2009
Dedication and Friends 25
October 2009
Advent Sunday 29
November 2009
Christmas Day is
a Friday
On Thursday 4th December, we
enjoyed a relaxing and creative evening, led by one of our flower arrangers,
Carolyn Churchyard, producing Christmas table decorations. Carolyn had prepared beforehand the oases and
brought candles and a wide variety of ribbons, baubles, stars, cones, etc.. for us to use as a pile of
different types of greenery. Very expertly and quickly she put together before
us a beautiful table decoration, making it all look so easy, and then
encouraged us to make one for ourselves.
Many of us were not
confident that we would be able to produce anything at all passable as a table
decoration, but at the end it was amazing to see so many different and
beautiful creations, the whole room looked Christmasy. Carolyn assured us that the decoration would
last until Christmas and we could add a few small flowers if we wanted to.
During the evening we had a
raffle to raise money for the M U Literacy Fund, which enables men, women and
children in Africa and elsewhere to learn to both read and write, giving them
better life opportunities.
The Mothers Union and Open
Group at St Mary's in 2008 raised over £180 for the M U Relief Fund which
offers emergency support for families all over the world who have been affected
by natural and man made disasters. We
also supported:
The Away from it All fund
which pays for families who would not otherwise have a holiday,
Women’s Refuge
Prison Visitor Centres,
Overseas Fund,
Britain
and Ireland Development Fund.
As a branch of Mothers
Union, we would really welcome people to become members to help us in our
mission to demonstrate Christian faith in action by transforming communities world wide through the nurture of family life in
its many forms.
At its meetings in November
the PCC decided to restructure the way we do things at St Mary’s. We’ve decided
to set up a (large) number of taskforces to help us work together as a whole
church to proclaim God’s greatness both to those who are already part of our
church family and those currently outside.
It is very exciting, but if
we are to do all that we need to, then we need to draw on all the many talents
that we have within the church – from graphic artists to accountants, teachers
to those skilled in metal or woodwork. If you think that there is some area of
the church’s life that you would like to get involved in, or some particular
skill that you’ve kept hidden under a bushel, then
please get in touch with Justine or Paul.
Epiphany is Greek for
"Manifestation" or "Showing Forth". In the Church’s Year is
the time when we look at the manifestation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
He was true man and true God. His divine manifestation is demonstrated by His
appearance as a boy in the temple, His first miracle, His power over illness,
His power over nature, and His glorious transfiguration.
Epiphany is known throughout
the Christian world under various names such as: Old Christmas Day, Twelfth
Night, Festival of Lights, Three Kings Day, and the Festival of the Magi. In
the Western Christian Church, Epiphany is celebrated as the Coming of the Magi
(Wise Men), In
the Eastern (Orthodox) Church, it is their Christmas Day, a celebration of the
Birth of Christ, and also the celebration of the baptism of Jesus. From ancient
times, the Eastern Church has blessed baptismal water during the vigil on
Epiphany, and on Epiphany they have blessed streams, lakes, and waters by
tossing a blessed cross into them which the young men would dive into the
waters to retrieve the cross.
Magus, in Greek is translated
"Magi" or "Wise Men". They probably came from the Orient
where the Jews had spent seventy years in the Babylonian captivity. By New
Testament times the term "Magi" was broadly used for persons adept in
any number of sacred arts, including interpretation of dreams, meditation of
divine messages, astrology, magic and divination.
The Western observation of
Epiphany has centred on the figures of the Magi, popularly called the Three
Kings. Traditionally they have been given the names of Melchoir,
Caspar, and Balthasar.
Their cult was especially strong at Cologne in the Middle Ages, where their
supposed relics had been brought in the 12th Century. Cologne Cathedral,
Germany today houses the supposed Three Kings relics. The idea that the Magi
were kings was derived from Ps. 71:10 and Isaiah 60: 3-6. The tradition that
there were three of them probably derived from the number of gifts mentioned in
the biblical account of their visit Matthew 2: 1-12. The account, of the visit of the Magi and of
the miraculous star that guided them, inspired several mystery plays during the
Middle Ages. The story of their visit gave rise to the
custom of gift giving on Epiphany.
GOLD
Gold the precious metal used
since the beginning of time for coinage, trade, and jewellery. Gold represents
Royalty and the highest gift someone could give to others. National and
individual wealth was determined by the amount of gold one had on deposit.
FRANKINCENSE
An
aromatic resin. It was a prized
commodity and traded throughout Persia, for religious and medicinal purposes.
The gum is an ingredient of fumigants and perfume and can be burned as incense.
It is obtained by cutting a deep incision in the trunk of the tree which allows
a milky juice to flow. When air hits the juice, it hardens into a semi-opaque
lump which is the product that was traded.
MYRRH
The myrrh tree grows from 4
to 20 feet high and has a very large trunk. Myrrh is extracted from the tree by
taping it allowing the yellow fluid to drain and be collected in lumps known as
tears. It was exported from Arabia and Somalia, as it’s
oil was used to make perfume and was used in embalming the dead and for medical
purposes.
Letter from Zimbabwe by A Franciscan Missionary
The darkest hour is before
dawn
We are all terrified at what
they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down
brick and mortar houses and one with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging
anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47s and bulldozers and demolished
their house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was 'too close to the
airport', so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.
You know - I am aware that
this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you
help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your
guardian angels to be with us - that is a help - but I feel so cut off from you
all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel
uncomfortable. There is no way we can leave here so that is not an option.
I ask that you all pray for
us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us
and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and
pretend/believe it is not going on.
To be frank with you, it is
genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report
by Amnesty International which says we are IN level 7 (level 8 is after it is
happened and everyone is in denial).
If you don't want me to tell
you these things-how bad it is-then it means you have not dealt with your own
fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our
situation. We need you, please, to get news OUT that we are all in a fearfully
dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say - oh well,
that's what happens in Africa.
This Government has GONE MAD
and you need to help us publicize our plight---or how can we be rescued? It is
a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our
city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0
Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family
approached me, brother the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home
was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult
people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by
250% as is water. How can I take on
another family of 4 and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?
I am not asking you for
money or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in
deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures.
So PLEASE help best in the way that you know how.
Do face the reality of what
is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD! The more people who know about
it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please
don't ignore or deny what's happening. Some would like to be protected from the
truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? 'If only we knew how
bad it really was we could have helped in some way'. [I know we chose to stay
here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us. For now,--- we
ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next
meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All
property is going to belong to the State now. I need to send out my Title Deeds
to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can't fight for my rights.
Censorship!----We
no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because
the Government jammed it out of existence – we don't have any reporters, and no
one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters, they would have an absolute
field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked,
stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks
homes, which are supposed to be 'illegal' but for which a huge percentage
actually do have licenses.
Please! - Do have some
compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that
something can/may be done. I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do
something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the
something that can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the
grace of God, will do.'
Everett Hale
St Patrick’s High School
keeps going – with our help. While many schools have had to close in the
current economic climate, we are pleased to report that St Patrick’s High
School is able to continue functioning thanks to the help of Churches in the
Croydon Episcopal Area in sourcing and funding regular supplies of maize. The
maize grinder provided last year is also in production and keeping supplies
going.
(I visited this School when
I went to Zimbabwe, despite lack of resources they provide an excellent education., with a strong Christian ethos. The linked
Primary School provides help to all those who live in the surrounding area.
Paul)
January 13
Much of Kentigern's
early life is more legend than fact but he is said to have been the son of a
pagan king of Gododdin, a part of Scotland now known
as Lothian. His mother had been cast adrift on a coracle in the Firth of Forth
and was washed ashore in Culross in Fife, where she
gave birth to a son. Looked after by St Serf (a former Pope who is said to have
founded Culross) in a nearby monastery, he was named Kentigern (from the Gaelic Ceanntigearn
- "chief lord") but his nickname, Mungo,
meaning "dear friend" is used more frequently.
He was ordained and became a
missionary, building on teachings of the early Christian church left by the
Romans. In Strathclyde he built a church on the banks of the Molendinar Burn which was to become Glasgow and he is the
patron saint of that city.
In 543 he became Bishop of
Cumbria, which at that time, straddled what is now the borders between England
and Scotland. He travelled through Cumbria to Wales, setting up churches and
chapels on the way. The parish church of Crosthwaite, Keswick, in Cumbria, is
dedicated to St Kentigern, whereas Glasgow Cathedral
uses St Mungo.
He died on January 13, 603
and is buried in Glasgow Cathedral.
As St Kentigern
built on the Christian legacy he inherited, let us build on the love God showed
us in sending His son at Christmas.
1624—1691
George Fox, who is
commemorated on 13th January, was the founder of the ‘Society of Friends, the
Quaker Movement.
Born in Leicestershire, the
son of a weaver, Fox worked as a young man as an apprentice Cobbler and as a
Shepherd. History does not record that
he had any formal education or any adult employment. In spite of this he was an assiduous writer
of pamphlets on a broad range of topics, he even wrote
pamphlets on Grammar which he clearly did not understand. He always seemed to have enough money to live
on.
Early in his life Fox became
disillusioned with the forms of religious worship he saw around him and
developed an antipathy to church leaders ‘bred of Oxford and Cambridge’.
He left home and, as he
recorded in his journal, ‘went walking solitary abroad’ in search of religious
experiences. He felt released by the conviction that Christ lived and spoke
within him and soon began to preach the message to groups all over the north of
England. He based himself in
Westmoreland where he met and married Margaret Fell, a widow who later became
one of the many missionaries travelling all over England, Europe and North America,
preaching and establishing groups of Friends.
George Fox was described as ‘ an original, being no one's copy’ and an individual and
forceful character. He loathed hypocrisy
and injustice, of which he saw much. But
his compassion for the poor, his concern for social and economic justice and
his determination to live up to his principles, won him the respect of all he
met and set a pattern for his followers which still continues today.
A church whose members
cheered a soldier's death as "punishment" for US tolerance of
homosexuality has been told to pay $10.9m (£5.2m) in damages.
The Westboro
Baptist Church was taken to court by the father of Lance Cpl Matthew Snyder, a
marine who died serving in Iraq in March 2006. The church cited its
constitutional right to free speech in its defence.
But Albert Snyder's lawyer
urged the jury to ensure the damages were high enough to stop the church
campaigning.
The church, which is
unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Fred Phelps. Most of its
70-odd members belong to his extended family. Members of the church - based in
Topeka, Kansas - have denounced homosexuality for years, initially targeting
the funerals of Aids victims. But they later extended their pickets to the
funerals of soldiers, who they say are being punished by God because of
America's tolerance of homosexuality. Last year they caused outrage when they
attended the funeral of Matthew Snyder with signs reading "Thank God for
dead soldiers" and "You're going to hell".
On Wednesday, the jury
ordered the church and three of its leaders to pay $2.9m in compensatory
damages, and an additional $8m for invasion of privacy and for causing
emotional distress. Albert Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock,
had urged jurors to agree an amount "that says 'Don't do this' in Maryland
again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again".
Albert Snyder sobbed when he
heard the verdict. "I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to
other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to
stop," he said, according to Reuters news agency.
2009 will be the 30th
anniversary of the United Nations’ International Year of the Child.
A group of Children’s
Advisers from across the Church of England’s dioceses, alongside
representatives from the Methodist Church and other denominations and agencies,
identified widespread interest in making a distinctive Christian contribution
to this anniversary. In light of this enthusiasm, the network plans to promote
2009 as an opportunity for local churches to review the work they do with and
for children and young people, and to do more to recognise and celebrate their
contribution in the life of the church and society.
The Archbishop of York, Dr
John Sentamu, comments: “In the lead up to the Year
of the Child 2009 it is my hope that individual churches and Christian
denominations throughout the country will opt in and make available the
resources needed to make it a success.
“Young people all over the
country need to hear the words of Christ's love for them in all manner of ways.
So too, we the Church need to hear afresh God speaking to us through the life
and witness of children. Come and join the celebration, be challenged and
inspired.”
Updates on the activities
taking place under the Church’s Year of the Child umbrella will be published
periodically during 2009 and distributed to local churches. Parishes interested
in finding out more can find inspiration and resources at:
www.yearofthechild2009.co.uk.
Whoever gets the Figurine is the ‘King of the Feast’.
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons chopped mixed candied fruit (e.g. figs, oranges, cherries,
citrons), plus extra for decoration
1 tablespoon chopped nuts or blanched almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 baby figurine
Glaze
1 egg,
beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter to warm (105-115 degrees).
4. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast mixture, milk mixture, and egg.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
7. Knead on lightly floured surface about 10 minutes.
8. Place in greased bowl, turning to coat top.
9. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double - about 1 hour.
10. Lightly knead in raisins, candied fruit, and nuts.
11. Place in greased bowl, turning to coat top.
12. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double - about 45 minutes. (This
is for the second time.)
13. Punch down dough and insert the baby figurine.
14. Shape a round loaf; make a 4-inch hole in center
and push dough into a ring ("rosca") about
8 inches across.
15. Place on greased baking sheet.
16. Butter the outside of a 3 or 4-inch custard dish and set it in the hole.
17. Let bread rise in warm place for 30 minutes.
18. Make the glaze and brush on loaf.
19. Press whole candied fruits and whole nuts on top.
20. Sprinkle top with sugar.
Cooking:
21. Place into a 180° C
(350° F) oven.
22. Bake for 30-35 minutes
until the bread is cooked and golden brown.
23. Place on a rack and let
cool.
Marise Taylor writes to say:
‘More than 30 years ago, I
was told that I had the necessary three ‘T’s’ to be Copy Secretary of the
Parish Magazine—Time, Typewriter and Telephone! I attended a Magazine Panel
meeting and met Tom Robson, George Hart (who wrote Waterbrooks)
Arthur Boardman and the Rector Rev’d John Read. Each
month, after the meeting I had to collect and assemble the articles which made
up the magazine. These had to be taken to the printer. A week later a proof
copy arrived and, with the help of Dudley, it was checked and returned. The
necessary copies were in the Church by the start of the following month. Later
on new technology made it possible for the printing to be done at St
Mary’s. It was time to move on and I became
very involved in Townswomen’s Guild work.’
Customer: 30 stamps please
Clerk: What denomination?
Customer: Pardon?
Clerk: I need to know the denomination.
Customer: Oh well I will have 16 Anglican’s, 9 Roman
Catholic's, and five Free Church please!
January 1989
The MUOG had thoughtfully
put off their first meeting of the new year to the
12th so as not to clash with the Parish Concert rehearsal. What their
contribution was - and that of others - will no doubt be revealed in a later
issue. Their other January meeting was to be a talk by the treasurer on church
accounts - riveting stuff. Advanced notice for their first February meeting
encouraged them to bring along a "treasure" - something very special
- and tell the story behind it. I wonder what long-ago secrets were revealed!
A short article, entitled
Women Priests, started with the lines, "Do you think this is still a live
issue? Do you think it will happen anyway….? Answers on a postcard?
Stewart Kimber, in his
Twenty Years Ago, noted with surprise that it was only 20 years since the local
telephone exchange joined the dialling system. Do you remember how frustrating
it was waiting for the operator to ask "number please" before you were
connected to the outside world - or even Croydon? And do you remember what
"Franklin", "Melrose" and "Uplands" were?
He also recalled a fuss over
the banning of a carol service due to take place before Christmas and said that
St Mary's had held their 1968 carol service on the Sunday after the festival
and still did. Twenty years further on, we've changed all that to fit in with
the public's view of Christmas, that it now ends on
Boxing Day with the start of the Sales. (We sing about the Twelve Days of
Christmas but who still keeps them?)
There was an open letter to
Christians in Britain from the Bishops of Southern Africa. They were working
hard for an end to the evil system of apartheid and for the establishment of a
just peace in the region. Twenty years later we are still praying for such a
solution in that troubled continent.
Someone once asked me which was the most famous place I'd rung in. That's difficult,
because what is meant by famous? People tend to think of cathedrals as being
famous and if you asked them to name one, they would probably come up with St
Paul's, Westminster Abbey, York Minster or Salisbury Cathedral. (Yes, I've rung
at the first three but not at the fourth, the reason being that, surprisingly,
Salisbury Cathedral has no bells.)
There are around 50
cathedrals/abbeys/priories in England and Wales, with only three in England
without bells - Salisbury, Ely and Norwich. Of the rest, I am missing just
Carlisle, Chester and Newcastle! I have, however, rung in several cathedrals in
Ireland, Australia and the USA.
But as to which is the most
famous, I really couldn't say. It was a privilege to ring in several of them,
notably St Paul's, Westminster Abbey and York Minster. Washington Cathedral was
also memorable. It was unusual there in that we rang after the service, which
we thought strange, as our usual remit is to call people to worship, not send
them away. We also came across this at the cathedral in Goulbourn,
New South Wales. Has anyone got an explanation for that?
I have also rung in several
secular towers, that is, towers that are not part of a religious building.
Among the most memorable are the Queen's Tower (Imperial College, London), the
Memorial Hall Campanile, Hingham, Massachussetts,
both of which sway alarmingly and were not worth the climb; Ballarat
City Hall, Australia, the Post Office Tower in Washington and Quex Park in Kent.
Quex Park is a unique Country Park of 350 acres on the
Isle of Thanet, set within a 1800-acre estate near Birchington. The Bell Tower, known as the Waterloo Tower,
was built in 1819 and houses a ring of 12 bells. When I first went there, the
inside walls were lined with tombs! There were no lights and dusk was falling,
making it feel very eerie.
The most beautiful secular
tower is the Swan Tower, Perth, Australia. It houses 16 bells, 12 of which came
from St Martin-in-the-Fields. It stands on the banks of the Swan River and is a
truly remarkable building.
It all started in October
2004 when I attended a short Walking for Health course which was held at the Scola Centre in Carew
Manor. There were just four of us in the
class, myself, Sheila, Dennis and one other lady. Our friendly Scottish tutor, Kevan Samwells, gave us each lots
of handouts about the benefits of walking and a pedometer. For three weeks we would stroll around
Beddington Park for an hour’s gentle walking with a 20 minute spurt of faster
walking in between (to get the heart rate going!).
When the course finished
Sheila, Dennis and I decided to continue with our weekly walks though as we
were usually busy chatting we soon dispensed with the 20 minutes of fast
walking! We are still walking today
though we have been joined by many new walkers over the years. Some have come and gone but today we have a
core group of 10 to 15 regulars who turn up whatever the weather. In particular, I should mention one of the group, Janet Emberson, who very
kindly steps in to lead the walk when I am on holiday.
Beddington Park has many
walks to choose from – there is the straightforward route along the main paths
where we keep an eye on what the gardeners are doing. The gardens around the Grange are
particularly beautiful at different times of the year. Sometimes we walk out of the park to Waddon Ponds along the Wandle
Valley Trail or there is Queen Elizabeth’s walk which takes us out of the park,
slightly uphill, through Bandon Hill Cemetery and back into the park
again. Beverly Shew,
who is one of our group, told us about this walk and
often has interesting information to share about the bridges and buildings in
the park. We sometimes explore Carew
Manor Wetland which is a little known area right on the Wandle
hidden away behind the manor. Ron Kriehn is the leader of a group of volunteers who carry out
nature conservation work here. There is
a little used path which goes right around the borders of the park starting
behind the Cricket Club and finishing at the beginning of the path which leads
to Hackbridge and Mitcham Common. There are particularly good blackberry bushes
along that path and in the park so in August and September our walks are more
about blackberry picking than walking!
We have also planted two
young rowan trees and daffodil bulbs in a few different places so it is always
fun to watch them come up in the spring.
At the moment, we are not too sure whether the two young trees have
survived the recent cutting back by Sutton Council but hopefully they are still
somewhere in the undergrowth and we will see them emerge next Spring.
So you see, it is never
boring and you can be sure of good company.
Do come along and join us on any Friday morning at 10 am. We meet on the wall in front of Carew Manor
or in the porch of St Mary’s Church if the weather is wet or blustery. There is no roll-call and there are no
warming-up or down exercises! However,
there is lots of chatting and pleasant strolling as we observe the changing
seasons and the nature all around us.
This walk is open to all
ages! Our most senior walker is 88 years
old and uses two buses to get to the start of the walk so that’s a good example
to us all. We are shortly hoping to
welcome a little two year old boy so he will become our youngest walker.
Finally, and the most
important point to mention: after our walk on the last Friday of the month we
enjoy tea, coffee and excellent home-made cakes, provided by the ladies of St
Mary’s Church, which are always very welcome.
A tour of this historic church is also possible at this time.
We look forward to welcoming
you to our group.
Melanie Nunzet
A few weeks before the
Christmas of 1897 a young girl wrote to the editor of the New York Sun.
‘Dear Editor,
I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say
there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in the Sun, it’s
so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Yours truly,
Virginia O’Hanlon’
Virginia looked in vain for
many days to see if her letter had been answered. Then, just when she was
beginning to give up hope, the following editorial appeared:
‘Virginia, your little
friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical
age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be
which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether
they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is
a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world
about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of
truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a
Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist,
and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus. It would be as
dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then,
no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this
existence. We should have no enjoyment except in sense and sight. The eternal
light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus?
You might as well not believe in friends!
You might get your papa to hire men to watch
all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did
not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa
Claus, but that is no sign there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the
world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies
dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not
there.
Nobody can conceive or
imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable
in the world. You tear apart the baby’s rattle to see what makes the noise
inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest
man, not even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived
could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance
can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and
glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this
world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus? Thank God,
he lives and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten
times ten thousands years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of
childhood.’
Anon
Not just clergy, or monks
and nuns, or teachers, or nurses. The word vocation has been much misused. Its
true sense of 'calling by God' has been completely lost in recent secular uses
like National Vocational Qualifications. And even in the Church it's been
hijacked by the professionals. It is assumed that the rest of us aren't called
by God.
It might be helpful to
clarify three different senses in which the word is used in a Christian
context. First is the general sense, the calling to become a Christian, to be a
follower of Christ. This is for everyone, but it is general, it doesn't specify
any particular task or job. It is the sense in which St. Paul usually uses the
word 'calling' in his letters.
Second is what I call
personal vocation. This too is for everyone (but it tends to be the least
understood and the least recognised and valued by the Church, not least because
it will usually be something you do beyond the confines of the church). God
invites everyone to make some contribution to the life of the world, some piece
of gift-work or service to others, that only you can do because of the
particular person you are, your gifts, your wounds, your personal background
and history. It will be something that expresses the unique essence of what you
are, which God calls out from you to be a gift to others. This may be something
you do in your spare time. Or it may be at your place of work: if it is, it
probably won't be in the job description. It may, for example, be the way you
do some part of your work. Notice that in the case of personal vocation the
calling of God is sensed within you, in your heart.
Third is institutional
vocation. This is the calling to a role or job, defined by others, requiring of
you certain duties and obligations. Ordination is an example of institutional
vocation; so is Churchwarden, or PCC member. Here the calling of God comes to
you via the institution, the Church. So that, for example, to become a vicar
you don't just decide one day to put up a brass plate on your front door; you
have to go though a selection process and others, the accredited
representatives of the Church, decide prayerfully whether you have the right qualities
for the work. In effect God's call to you comes through the Church.
Most secular jobs are not
examples of institutional vocation because the employing body does not regard
itself explicitly as the agent of God. But sometimes a person may be lucky enough
to feel that their paid job fits them so well that it feels like a joy to do
(or some parts of it do). In that case it has something of the character of
personal vocation.
It is worth mentioning that
there is frequently confusion between personal vocation and institutional
vocation. The Church often doesn't recognise that the two are different. This
can be the cause of a lot of distress to people who feel an inner sense of call
to be ordained but who go to a selection conference and are not recommended.
For a fuller explanation of the difference see chapter 1 of my ‘Called or
Collared?’
Francis Dewar ( reproduced with permission)
Our Local community
At the start of another
year,
May all we know and those we
are yet to meet find the love of Christ in their hearts and in their lives,
May all
our parish live in the love and comfort of Christ
The World
Lord, help us to lead our
world in the ways of justice and peace.
Help us to be at peace with ourselves,
our families, friends and neighbours.
May peace not conflict arise from our hearts wherever we go.
Help us to be active peacemakers -
to bring peace into the world by whatever means we are able.
Help us never to stand back and watch people suffer,
but to look for solutions in the smallest and the largest situations.
May our peace be a sign of strength and not of weakness,
that others may follow peace with peace. Amen.
The Church
We pray to you for the unity
of all Christians
According to your will,
According to your means,
May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division
To see our sin and to hope beyond all hope.
God, you alone are our hope
You alone are our hope
‘We must strive:
To bring the light of the Gospel to those living in darkness,
To bring the hope of the Gospel to those living in despair,
To bring the healing of the Gospel to the lonely,
the disadvantaged, the marginalized.
And to bring the peace of the Gospel to a divided
world."