By the time this edition is read our Choir will be returning from, what I am sure will be, a successful tour in Germany. Those of us with children of school age will be buying uniform and preparing them for a return to routine and school.

I pray that each and everyone of you has had some sort of break and a chance to relax and reflect, or just to do nothing and not feel as though you should be active.

It is important for all of us to have time for ourselves, Jesus was noted for going away and spending time alone and just be with God. How much time do you put aside to be with God? Or are you caught up in the business of the world, to the exclusion of all other things? All too often organisations and individuals equate busyness with achievement, long hours worked to productive effort.

The church could ask of it’s Priests , how many baptisms, how many weddings how many funerals, how many confirmation candidates, by how much has your congregation grown, and how many services have you conducted? All good questions but are they the right questions? Is this what our job as priests and as church is about?

For me it comes down to how we meet the great commission, to make apostles of all the nations. To let people know the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. True if they are not in church it is hard for non-Christians to hear that message, but is it in Church that we should spend the majority of our time? The answer to me is no, people are made curious by what they see and by their interaction with Christians. Like our Lord we need to be out there and visible.

Our individual time and communal time praying and worshipping God, give us the strength to be his body in the world. We gain our spiritual strength from our personal relationship with God and our relationship with fellow Christians. That time heals us and makes us whole.

That is why how we are together is very important, and our focus of support and love must be for all our community both Christian and non-Christian. If we cannot be caring for those we know, and those who profess the same faith as us, how can we be caring for others?

Lots of questions I know, but think on them and ponder and share them with God. You may be surprised what answers he gives you!

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Back to School….

Life-long learning is one of those things that politicians often talk about, but which never seems to make much difference in practice. How different that ought to be with our spiritual lives, which should be ones of constant exploration and discovery as we travel day by day with the mystery that is God and yet is revealed to us in Jesus Christ and experienced through the life of the Holy Spirit.

As we seek to live out our Christian discipleship we should constantly be seeking ways to deepen our relationship with God, to learn more about the Scriptures and the tradition of our Church and to reflect on how that affects us in our day to day life. For some people that might mean daily Bible study using the study notes produced by the Bible Reading Fellowship, Church House Publishing or one of the many other Christian publishers; for others it might be time spent in contemplative prayer, being aware of the presence of Jesus and focussing on the mystery of God; for others it may mean wrestling with academic theology in all its guises; while still others will want to form groups engaging with others as they seek to live Christian lives.

Whatever we do, and we will all have different patterns in our journey of faith, we must try to be thinking and engaged Christians, confident in our faith yet not arrogant or dismissive of others positions. We must not simply accept something because we always have done, but allow ourselves to be challenged by new experiences, by the Scriptures and by our wider reading and thinking. If our faith is to be living, it must also be growing.

At the beginning of a new academic year, our magazine has, perhaps, a back to school flavour. We look forward to some of the exciting plans we have for the rest of 2009 and early 2010, ways that together we can explore our faith, as we travel together on our journey to and with God.

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Literature Study Course

Following the great success of our pilot earlier this year, another short study course is to be held on four Monday mornings in the Centre from 10 – 12 noon.

If you enjoy reading and feel you would like to get a little more out of a book by discussing it with others, then why not come along. You will be most welcome.

These are the two novels we shall be looking at this session:

“The Shipping News”, Annie Proulx, October 26th and November 2nd

“The Return of the Native”, Thomas Hardy, November 30th and December 7th

Interested? Please phone Jackie on 0208 395 8239.

Paul Goodridge has been asked by the Southwark Board of Education to become a Foundation Governor of the Wilsons School and Charity. He has accepted and takes up his post on 1/9/09.

Justine’s tale….

My Hebrew class at King’s College London was the first time I’ve ever been in a group when I was old enough to be everyone else’s mum (perhaps not my tutor but it was a close run thing!), and boy did my brain hurt as I tried to learn a language which has very little in common with the Latin based languages I’d studied before and I definitely felt age creeping up on me. Vocabulary slipped in one eye or ear then out of the other without stopping in my brain for more than 30 seconds. But luckily learning the language was only a small part of what I’ve been doing for the last year.

I am studying for a Master’s degree in the Bible and Theology. Why? Mostly because for my own spiritual growth I need to struggle and wrestle with God on this sort of basis, testing my understanding and developing my thoughts. It feeds my relationship with God, my prayer life, and it gives me energy to do lots of other things too. But why the Bible and Theology? I am passionate about the Bible, and angry at the way that “Bible-believing” or “Bible-based” is used as code within the church for one particular viewpoint or set of beliefs. I wanted to look at the way I read and used the Bible, perhaps to see how that had changed or developed over seven years of full time ministry, to validate or challenge my beliefs and to engage in a profound way with the text that is foundational for my faith. So as well as learning Hebrew, I wrote essays comparing and contrasting different translations of a passage from the Bible and the Hebrew text (and what a shock that was!); I studied and suggested ways that the Holocaust has influenced the way we read St Paul, and by extension the ways our context today shapes our reading of the Bible, and I looked at the way that the Bible is interpreted in different streams of Anglican tradition, as well as trying to find a positive way forward.

I learnt a great deal about the Bible, its use and abuse. My own assumptions and preconceptions were challenged and through wrestling and arguing with various authors over the centuries I became both more humble and more certain of the ground of my being. It has also helped as I reflect on the ways we use and learn about the Bible here at St Mary’s.

Next year I’m looking at doctrine in more detail and of course writing my dissertation. I’m not sure yet where that’s going to take me, but if this year has been anything to go by it will be a real privilege.

Mondays at St Mary’s

Starting in October, a new series of reflective services will begin on Monday evenings at 8pm. These provide an opportunity to slow down and, through a variety of different liturgical styles, to spend time in God’s presence.

1st Monday of the month Service in the style of Taize.

Taize is an ecumenical community in France which uses simple chants in a

variety of languages to aid prayer and meditation.

2nd Monday of the month A Service for Healing and Wholeness.

The ministry of healing is a very ancient one within the church and picks up the Jewish idea of Shalom, which recognises that God’s healing may be very different from a medical ‘cure’. This service provides an opportunity to bring before God our places of physical, emotional and mental pain, and to ask God into them, to renew our wholeness. There will be the opportunity for the laying on of hands and anointing, and the chance to pray for others as well as ourselves.

3rd Monday of the month Celtic Worship

An opportunity to explore worship in this tradition based on Times and Seasons, and grounding faith in the Trinity as experienced in life and the world.

4th Monday of the month Sanctuary

Over the centuries the Church has found that praying in the presence of the sacrament has been a helpful focus for prayer. The presence of the sacrament acts as an icon, a doorway to the sacred, reminding us of Jesus’ self-offering on the Cross for the whole world, and his presence with us in the Eucharist and in every aspect of our lives. This service provides a time for silent prayer for ourselves and the world.

5th Monday of the month Holy Communion according to the Order of the Book of Common Prayer

This service will use the traditional language and form of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for a said Eucharist.

If you would like to know more about these services, please contact Justine, Paul or Jenifer.

What on earth is the Creed and why do we say it?

One of the books that was read by the Theology Book Club was Believing in God Three Ways by Nicholas Lash which studies the Apostles’ Creed. As is always the case, opinions varied hugely about the book and its main argument, however one of the things that everyone agreed on was that a sermon series on the Creed(s) would be “A Good Thing”. The Adult Nurture Taskforce agreed. We haven’t quite provided that, but we hope we’ve provided an opportunity to reflect on the Creed and to study it together.

During September and October, most Evensongs will be focussed on one aspect of the Creed with reflections both in words and music. After the service there will be an opportunity over a light supper to spend more time looking at that same area, looking at the development of the Creed(s) and the various areas of doctrine covered. We hope that the sessions will be informative and fun, and help us to focus on our own faith as it is reflected in the words we say week by week.

So we can plan the catering, a list will be at the back of church for people to sign up.

Sunday 20th September – Why have a Creed at all?

Sunday 27th September – Which Creed is the right Creed?

Sunday 4th October - God the Father

Sunday 18th October - God the Son

Sunday 25th October – God the Holy Spirit

Sunday 1st November – The Church

If this is successful, we hope to run a similar series during Lent, looking at different aspects of the Bible: how it gained its current shape; the Bible in art; the Bible as and in literature; aspects of interpretation and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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Wednesday 2nd

Eucharist - Carew Chapel - 10am

St Mary’s Guild St Mary’s Court 2:30pm

Thursday 3rd

Mothers Union ‘Hampton Court’ by Paul Goodridge

Church Centre 7:30pm

Saturday 5th

Junior Servers Training in Church 10:30am

Men’s Breakfast Church Centre 8:30am

Cheam Charter Fair

Sunday 6th

Trinity 13 All Services at usual times

Monday 7th

Theology Book Club 32 Waterer Rise 7:30pm

Tuesday 8th

Time for God - 9.30am – Carew Chapel

Fund Raising Committee The Rectory 8pm

Wednesday 9th

Eucharist - Carew Chapel – 10am

PCC Meeting Church Centre 8pm

Thursday 10th

Praise and Play 10:30 Church Centre

Saturday 12th

Servers Training in Church 10:30

Sunday 13th

Trinity 14 Patronal Festival All services at the usual times

Monday 14th

Planning Meeting for Holiday Club 7:30 Church Centre

Wednesday 16th

Mothers Union Corporate Eucharist – Carew Chapel 10am

Poetry Circle ‘The Poetry of Phillip Larkin’ Church Centre 2:00pm

Friends of Beddington Park The Grange 7:30pm

Friday 18th

Surrey Association of Bell Ringers in Church Tower 7:30pm

Sunday 20th

Trinity 15 All services at the usual times

11:30 Adult Nurture Group meets Vestry

Tuesday 22nd

Confirmation Rehearsal St Michaels 7:30pm

Wednesday 23rd

Eucharist – Carew Chapel 10am

Thursday 24th

Praise and Play 10:30 St Mary’s Centre

Friday 25th

St Mary’s Centre open for coffee and cake – 10am -11.30am

Sunday 27th

Trinity 16 All services at the usual times

28th September—1st October

Southwark Diocesan Conference, Swannick, Derbyshire. Paul and Justine attending.

Wednesday 30th

Eucharist – Carew Chapel 10am

Future Dates for your diary

Friday 25th September

Justine’s Birthday

Saturday 26th September

Grandparent’s day

Saturday 3rd October

Confirmation Service at St Michael’s South Beddington

Hugh Crozier plays Jazz at St Mary’s Church

Sunday 4th October

Harvest Festival ( Guides and Brownies)

100 years of Guiding Launch

Cake sale after the service

5th October

Mondays at St Mary's starts 8pm

11th October

10.30 am (note later than normal time) Dedication and Friends Main Service followed by bring and share lunch

4pm Elizabeth Goodridge ordained Deacon at Croydon Parish Church, followed by ‘a bit of a do’ at St Michaels' Church Wallington.

St Mary’s Men’s Group

September 5th

Breakfast, 8:30—10:00 am. Church Centre

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Praying for you

The roads in our parish we pray for in September

September 6th

Hilliers Lane & Wandle Bank

September 13th

Hallowell Avenue & Tritton Avenue

September 20th

Bridges Lane & Wandle Court Gardens

September 27th

Wandle Road & Blandford Close

Readings for the Principal Sunday Services in September

September 6th

Isaiah 35:4-7a

James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17

Mark 7:24-37

September 13th

Isaiah 50:4-9a

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

September 20th

Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Mark 9:30-37

September 27th

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

James 5:13-20

Mark 9:38-50

Saints and Commemorations in September

1 Giles of Provence, Hermit, c.710

2 The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea, 1901 and 1942

3 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith, 604

4 Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester (Oxon), Apostle of Wessex, 650

6 Allen Gardiner, founder of the South American Missionary Society, 1851

8 The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

9 Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880

13 John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher of the Faith, 407

14 Holy Cross Day

15 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258

16 Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle of the Picts, c.432

16 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, Tractarian, 1882

17 Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179

19 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690

20 John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

21 Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

25 Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626

25 Sergei of Radonezh, Russian Monastic Reformer, Teacher of the Faith, 1392

26 Wilson Carlile, Founder of the Church Army, 1942

27 Vincent de Paul, Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists), 1660

29 Michael and All Angels

30 Jerome, Translator of the Scriptures, Teacher of the Faith, 420

Harold Richard Hore

1920-2009

My sadness at Harold's passing is tempered only by the privilege of writing this tribute.

I first knew Harold when he joined a group of us who took our small children swimming at Croydon Baths early on Sunday mornings. From this small beginning a firm friendship developed, and has lasted for about 50 years.

Mary and I spent many happy holidays with Harold and Joyce, being introduced to the beauties of the Swiss Alps and the Scottish Highlands amongst many others, where Harold's flair for photography was revealed. Also revealed, was a previously unknown idiosyncrasy, a delight in cream teas. A hotel in Cornwall at which we were staying specialised in cream teas with emphasis on clotted cream. I don't remember Harold every missing one!

Who could but not be impressed by Harold's high academic achievements and his determination to impart this wide knowledge to future generations. But to me he epitomised an English gentleman with his love of family, high standards, absolute integrity, and firm religious faith.

I shall miss his valued friendship.

John Tapp

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From the Registers

Weddings

7th August Miles Wallace and Rebecca Godfrey

14th August Andrew Oxley-Wilson and Melanie Ferguson

15th August Richard Gomm and Kendra Beech

22nd August Andrew Kennedy and Joanne Denny

Baptisms

10th August Jade and Ellie

23rd August Anya and Madison

30th August Stella

Funeral

28th August Harold Richard Hore

A Journey to Ministry

I walked into Croydon Parish church at the beginning of term last September all ready to embark on the Southwark Diocese Certificate in Biblical and Theological study.

I walked into this small, what seemed like a nursery classroom, I looked around me and greeted the other students in the room. I had no idea what to expect from this course, if anything at all, an understanding of the bible and to explore my Christian faith.

The first module was to study the Old Testament, and what an eye opener this module was and this is where I put my hands up and say, I have never read the bible cover to cover. This first module really questioned my true understanding of the bible, how the bible came to be and the most shocking of all for me, was that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not the actual witnesses to the life of Jesus. How disappointed was I!!!!

The rest of the course looked at the New Testament, Doctrine, Ethics and Worship with Liturgy. For me the course was a very personal journey. It started with me being curious about the bible and what it really means, but by the end of the course I gained a greater understanding of God and somehow the course has enabled me to be closer to him and be able to question the word of God in a way that I have never felt I could and it is only by our questions that we will understand what it is that God has in store for each and everyone one of us.

There were assignments that were given at the end of each module with the exception of the ‘worship and liturgy’ module; however it was not compulsory to undertake the assignments. So, to my fellow Christians or non Christians who wish to know just that little bit more about the bible, how it was written, how the books of the bible came to be or if you are just curious about this whole thing about Christianity, then I recommend this course as your stepping stone.

When the course was coming to an end I did wonder what I would do next, because you know one course always leads to another or even a vocation, so when Justine asked me to attend the Dioceses ‘Gods calling’ seminar, I laughed at first, especially when she mentioned going into ministry, I thought, well I won’t go into what I thought, for those who know me well, I am sure you can guess what I was thinking. But as usual I remain open minded about anything Justine suggests to me and decided that I would attend this seminar.

So on 6th June, I took myself off to Southwark Cathedral, but not before walking into St Paul’s Cathedral and being told I was in the wrong place………..true Maud’s style!

The seminar was mainly about the different areas of the ministry that we can pursue in our working for God and it was amazing to see that there were so many vocations out there for us Christians who wish to do more that just attending Sunday Service. There was a talk from a Lay Minister about how he came to be a Lay Minister; we were then split into groups where we were given questions to think about where we are in our Christian journey.

Well I certainly had many questions about where my Christian life was taking me. Was doing the theological certificate enough for me or did I want to further my career in the ‘Christian’ sense. During the lunch break, I decided to go somewhere quiet and read all the literature I had collected and as I was reading each piece of literature, I was throwing the ones that did not interest me back in my bag.

My final literature was on becoming a SPA. I think I must have read the first few lines on what a SPA does and I quickly gathered my bits and pieces and raced back to the Cathedral and straight to the table where I had picked up the literature and went to speak with Chris. He gave me the forms and said if I was quick I could possibly start the course in September.

On my return I was very eager to speak to Justine. I had to be on this course in September, there was no time to waste; I needed to get references and approval from the PCC and so there was very little time to get everything done.

I know that SPA ministry is what God is calling me to do. I know on that day, God spoke to me and for maybe the first time in my life, I heard him and I listened. So PCC thank you for backing me on this one. I still have one more hurdle to go, but I know that I will be training to be a SPA come September, it is God’s will. Amen.

Maud Adams

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St Michael the Archangel

September 29

Strictly speaking, St Michael is not a saint, as that would imply canonisation. In the Book of Daniel, he is referred to as one of the "chief princes". In Joshua chapter 5, he is believed to be the unnamed heavenly messenger sent by God, who declared he had come to Joshua as commander of the army of the Lord. He is referred to as the Archangel Michael in Jude verse 9 but the most famous passage referring to him comes in Revelation chapter 12, with the account of Michael and his angels "fighting against the dragons" and removing them from heaven.

It is also Christian belief that Michael may appear in Scripture where his name is not actually mentioned. Examples of that include the cherub that stood at the gate of paradise with a flaming sword "to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis ch. 3), the angel who stood in the way of Balaam (Numbers 22), the angel who routed the Assyrian army (2 Kings 18) and the angel who prevented Abraham sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22)

Because of Michael's association with fighting and guarding, he is often depicted in armour with an unsheathed sword, sometimes in conflict with a dragon - the representation of Satan. In other art, he is depicted dressed in white and with wings, as well as carrying the naked sword. As in all angels' iconography, the wings represent swiftness, the white clothing, enlightenment and the sword, power. Sometimes he is shown holding scales. This is because it is said he is the Christian angel of death, carrying the souls of the dead to heaven, where they are weighed on his perfectly balanced scales.

The Latter-Day Saints theology regards the Archangel Michael and the Patriarch, Adam, as the same person, Adam being the name in his mortal life and Michael his pre-and-post mortal name. And curiously, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses believe Michael and Jesus to be one and the same person in pre-human and human existences!

As Saint Michael or Saint Michael and All Angels, there are over 700 churches dedicated to him in England. He has been greatly loved through all ages and his feast day has been celebrated since at least the 6th century. It was one of the Quarter Days when rents were collected and accounts settled and when university terms began.

If we believe in angels - and there is much proof throughout the Bible - then Michael must stand alongside Gabriel and Raphael as one of the chiefs among them.

On his feast day, let us pray for St Michael's special protection.

"Visit, O Lord, our homes and drive far from them the force of the evil one. May your holy angels guard us and preserve us in peace and may your blessing be upon us evermore."

Jean Kimber

Growing older

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old,
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. God can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36.. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Smilers

Two Married couple were arguing who is making the coffee, the wife said in the Bible that men should make the coffee and the husband replied saying no its not, show me and the wife said its HEBREWS

One day a Pastor, a Vicar and an Atheist go on a fishing trip together. They are in the boat and the Pastor says," Oh no! I left the paddles on shore!" So he proceeds to get out of the boat and walk on the water to the shore to get them. Once he had gotten back into the boat the Vicar says," Oh no! I left the bait on shore too!" And like the Pastor the Vicar exits the boat and walks on the water to get the bait. When the Vicar climbs back into the boat the atheist yells," Well if you guys can do it so can I!!!" and proceeds to climb out of the boat, but he falls into the water. At this point the Pastor says," Do you think we should have told him where the rocks are?"

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her memorize Psalm 23, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. She gave the children a month to learn the chapter. One little boy was excited about the task, but he just couldn't memorize the Psalm. Although he practised and practised, he could hardly get past the first line. The day came for the children to recite Psalm 23 before the congregation. The little boy was nervous. When his turn came, he stepped up to the microphone and proudly said, "The Lord is my Shepherd and that's all I need to know!"

Minister's prayer "May the members of my congregation be as free with their money as they are with their advice, and may their minds be open as their mouths".

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The Ringers' Grand Day Out

The thunderstorms of Friday, July 24, did not bode well for the Ringers' Outing the next day. However, we woke to brilliant sunshine, which continued all day for us.

Our destination was the seaside and 18 ringers, plus seven "extras", met up in the picturesque village of Alfriston. The large church, aptly named the "Cathedral of the South Downs", dates back to 1360. It is set on the Tye (the village green) beside the River Cuckmere. There is a central tower and, as the bells are rung from the ground floor in front of the chancel, not only is there a very long draught of rope but there is also no easy escape from the Service!

But we found the bells easy to ring and the non-ringers enjoyed watching us and sitting outside in the morning sunshine. One unfortunate lady, who shall remain nameless, fell over in the mud on the footpath from the car park, much to two-year-old Jack's consternation. "Lady fell in the mud", was his main line of conversation on our journey onwards to Eastbourne.

Our driver chose some tortuous country lanes for us on our way to St Mary's in the Old Town. (SatNav's idea of a "scenic route", which I have to admit it was. None of us had ever seen the White Horse on the hillside at Litlington overlooking the Cuckmere valley.)

St Mary's is another large church, built of Caen stone from Normandy in the late 12th century. The ring of eight bells were hung in 1818, making them over 50 years older than ours. The bells were enjoyed almost as much as the doughnuts consumed by the youngest members of the party. (Nick and his family had had around a two-hour journey, so breakfast was a dim memory by 11 o'clock!)

Christ Church stands a stone's throw from the sea and is the church where Lewis Carroll and Princess Alice (Victoria's daughter) regularly worshipped. The day after our visit, there was to be a Sequicentennial Pontifical Solemn Mass to celebrate the church's 150th anniversary. There are eight light bells here and the ringing was good. I was told that the locals love to hear the bells rung because they were without them for a long time (due to an unringable vicar!!)

Next came the lunch hours - two of them - to give time to enjoy the seaside properly. Nearly everyone made their way to the benches on the promenade to enjoy the sun, the sea and their sandwiches. The next two generations ventured down to the water's edge and engaged in such games as "Clay-pigeon shooting" - you throw up a large stone over the water and everyone tries to hit it. Not easy, though I saw Nick score two hits! "Ducks & Drakes" isn't that easy either with waves to contend with but again, Nick managed a "six" - must be something to do with working on, in and beside the sea every day!

A stroll along to the coffee/tea/ice-cream parlour proved popular. Some watched the bowls; Chris and Jack sampled the excitement of Treasure Island, while Hannah and Lucy discovered a fête and won some treasures of their own. Then it was off to St Saviour's.

My instructions to drivers said, "You can't miss it, it's huge" - so often proved wrong - but nobody did! St Saviour's is a Forward in Faith church, which was built as the town began to grow in the middle of the 19th century. The land was given by the Duke of Devonshire and the church was completed in 1867. The massive tower houses 10 heavy bells and the long climb up deterred all the non-ringers and the muddy knee! It was worth the climb though, because once we’d mastered the different "feel" of the bells, we managed some competent ringing.

By total contrast, our last tower was a little ring of six bells in the peaceful setting of Willingdon, on the outskirts of the town. The churchyard is very rural and the little ones had a great time exploring. Parts of the church date back over 800 years but the six bells date from the 1930s. A very pleasant ring was followed by a typical ringers' group photograph - everyone trying not to be in the front!

Then it was time to make our way up to Beachy Head for our evening meal together. Chris and I had done a "recce" a few months earlier and had been delighted with the arrangements offered at Beachy Head. We had a very comfortable room to ourselves, with marvellous views over the sea and the Downs. The very extensive menu catered for all tastes and everyone seemed happy and relaxed after all their efforts. It was specially good to have Kath Chilcott with us, following her recent hip operation. Although she couldn't actually ring, she really enjoyed the company and the change of scenery. A Beddington Outing without Kath wouldn't have seemed right!

We couldn't have asked for better weather - it was absolutely beautiful; we were so lucky. Thanks and congratulations to all the drivers and their navigators who deciphered my instructions correctly. Chris's SatNav has a mind of its own, we discovered but it always got us there.

Jean Kimber

Twenty years ago

September 1989

Heather Cosgrove had written about the Wallington Task Force's Summer Celebration held in Beddington Park. Over 150 people of all ages had attended and had had the opportunity to play, eat and worship together. St Mary's had issued an invitation to the other churches to join in a special Evensong on Friends & Dedication Sunday on October 1.

There was a long, well-written and interesting account by Charlotte Richardson on her holiday in the Seychelles. She had gone to visit her parents - on sabbatical there - and had had a wonderful time. It made us very envious!

To record the anniversary of Russell Stableford's death there had been a special flower display for Sunday, June 25th. It was wondered if other people would like to do the same. They would pay for the flowers and the flower ladies would do the arrangement for them. (I'm not sure if this idea is continued but it seems a good one.)

The Bishop of Southwark was to lead a diocesan visit to the Holy Land. One of the chief features was to spend time with Christians living and working in the villages and refugee camps away from the usual tourist routes. I don't know if anyone from St Mary's joined him. Did YOU go?

A light-hearted article on a "No Excuse" Sunday, listed such attractions as - sleeping bags for those who say Sunday is their only lie-in; some relatives and friends in attendance for those who have to go visiting and TV dinners for those who can't go to church and cook the family dinner. What are today's excuses, I wonder?

Carousel reported that Pam Vernon had retired after many years teaching at Holy Trinity. (Twenty years ago, Pam? You must have got used to retirement now! You certainly haven't frittered away your time!)

Hazel West had relinquished her post as leader of Sunday School after 12 years and much appreciation was expressed for her work throughout those years.

The weather had been a bit too kind for the churchyard workers. Stewart Kimber, Gerald England and John Tapp had apparently found it very hot sweaty work. There's always someone who complains when the sun does shine!

Nicola Woolvin was congratulated on passing her driving test and Chris Kimber for passing Grade 8 with distinction in his percussion exams and for having his own composition played by Sutton Schools Wind Band at their end-of-term concert. (They pay him for that nowadays!)

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