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Here you will find some old magazines as they are published.
Due to technical reasons, advertisements from the magazines will not appear on-line.
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APRIL 2008
AT ST BARNABAS……...
Many people have commented to me about how really inspiring the Church appeared for Easter Day. Thanks go to all involved, including those who put so much into the organisation behind the scenes (be that all the sacristy duties or doing things like weaving our 200 palm leaves into Palm Crosses, etc, etc).
The flowers and candle arrangements in the windows, the pedestals and displays on the pillars set the scene beautifully and the Easter Lilies, in memory of loved ones, set off the High Altar magnificently. Thanks, also, to those from Barney’s Bunch and our other young people for the Easter Egg Tree and Garden in front of the Nave Altar (and for the other one in the children’s corner, too).
Helen Lubin, our Reader, put together another amazing Easter Garden in the Lady Chapel. That always gets people thinking and reflecting deeply. She also found time to devise and lead the Stations of the Cross Services in Holy Week and the final Easter Praise Service, too. Others who put so much into things were all those leading the music and contributing in many other ways to the special services for the week.
Then there were those providing and serving the refreshments that meant there was such a warm welcome for anyone who came to Church for Easter, not forgetting those who came faithfully to worship throughout and so gave our Holy Week programme a real sense of continuity and of being accompanied by the crucified and risen Christ anew, as we explored the Easter mysteries once more.
& CHRIST CHURCH
The Saturday of the Easter Weekend saw the Tolly Centre “Eggstravaganza” in which Christ Church folk played a full part, by organising a cake stall, and thanks go to all those providing cakes of all kinds, and to those who manned the stall. I understand that this also made for very good refreshments after Sunday’s Easter Day service(!) which was, as ever, ably led by Jennie Hayward. The previous Saturday we had also held a very successful Easter Fun Morning on March 15th, with more children than at any of our previous children’s events, who all seemed to enjoy both the craft activities and the games. Thanks go to Jennie, together with the two Sues (Martyr & Shacklock - together with various family members!) and Nancy Murray Peters.
W e are looking to continue to hold these regularly, with the next one probably being at the end of July. Thanks again to Sue Martyr, for leading the successful Christ Church Lent Course, and to all those who provided the excellent bread and soup lunches that were incorporated with them.
Ideas and suggestions from that, and the St Barnabas group, will be sent in to the Diocese, as requested. These responses, from all over the diocese, will be collated and published, and will also help guide the thinking for the forthcoming Diocesan Assembly in July. Like the course, this will focus on the issues of the six “Hallmarks of the Living Church” identified in the Taylor Report commissioned by Worcester Diocese last year. There will be more details of all this after the summer.
A Happy and Holy Easter-tide to you all,
Peter Haddleton
MINISTRY HERE: 12 MONTHS ON!
Incredible though it seems to me, Vanessa and I will have been here exactly a year by the time our Annual Parochial Church Meeting comes round on April 23rd. From both perspectives, that makes this a time both to reflect on the last year and to look forward to what the future might bring for us all. The following is a set of snapshots which, taken together, give an overview of some of the current developments here and some of the plans that will, I am sure, make the next 12 months as stimulating and challenging as the last year has been…..
STEWARDSHIP
One vital element of being a “Living Church” is the responsible financial stewardship that must go alongside our individual contribution to Church and Community life.
Leaflets about our Parish Stewardship Programme will be available on Sunday 6th April and John Dentith will be addressing the whole issue for our Annual Stewardship Service at 10 am on the following Sunday (the 13th).
One new feature we will be including later this year, though, is a Thanksgiving Sunday in the autumn. This will be to highlight and spell out exactly what is achieved and enabled through our Church, by way of utilising and channelling the generosity, skills and commitment of those in the Church family. On into the future, the mission and ministry of the Church as a whole will be more and more directly provided by local leadership. One of the things I have been most impressed with is how fully developed that process is in this parish and it gives us so much to build on for the future.
These reflections link in with all that I have experienced here, over the last year, with the “Hallmarks” thinking already outlined in my editorial and also with the ideas behind another set of discussion groups, detailed on page 5.
APCM
This year’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held in the church on Wednesday 23rd April at 7.00pm.
MAGDEBURG TRIP 2008
We are nearly ready to start our return visit to our friends in our partner parish in Magdeburg.
On Saturday, 5th April we are having a meeting at 7.30 in the church hall to make some final arrangements. It will be a shared supper so bring along some nibbles to share, drinks are, as usual, provided.
The dates we are going are leaving Friday, 23rd May at about 7 in the evening and returning Thursday, 29th May in the afternoon on the coach. Some of our party are travelling by air and will be leaving on the Saturday and returning on the Thursday. We have plenty of space left in the coach so if you are thinking of coming please sign the notice at the back of church or come on Saturday, 5th April. We need to start sending names and numbers for our hosts.
The planned itinerary for our visit is as follows:
Sat 24th arriving from mid-day onwards, stay with hosts, evening service & welcome party in St. Joseph’s church and hall.
Sun 25th: service in the new church – St. Lawrence’s – stay with hosts.
Mon 26th: visit to Dresden, guided tour through Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady (rebuilt & opened in 2006 after bombing in 2nd World War) and Hofkirche (Catholic church), steam ship sight seeing tour with lunch, free time.
Dresden was extensively bombed by the Allied forces in 1945 and many of the buildings have only recently been re-built.
Tues 27th: coach tour to the glass blowing factory on the way to the Harz mountains to visit Goslar, a very old German town on north rim of Harz mountains.
Wed 28th: shopping/sight seeing in Magdeburg. 6pm service in St. Lawrence’s, farewell party and travel blessing.
Also, some of our congregation are going to the re-dedication of St. Lawrence’s church on the 27th April. Robin, Pippa, John and Sally will be representing all of us there and we want to send along a gift to mark this wonderful occasion. Has anyone got any ideas?
Lyn Crowther
MY FAITH STORY DISCUSSION GROUPS
We are looking to follow up the recent successful Lent Course with a five week series on Tuesday evenings starting at 7. 30 pm and held in St Barnabas Church Vestry. The related topics for these evenings will be as follows:
Tuesday April 22nd – “Stories and Story Telling down the Ages”
Tuesday April 29th – “Story in Scripture and Religion”
Tuesday May 6th – “Telling our own Story”
Tuesday May 13th – “God’s Story and Us”
Tuesday May 20th – “Sharing that Story with Others”
More details will be available soon, and the series will be launched with a special service on Sunday 20th April at St Barnabas, but please make a note of the dates, now.
CONFIRMATION
Another reminder about the forthcoming Cluster Confirmation at St Nicholas on Sunday 15th June at 4 pm.
Any Adults interested will be asked to join a short “Start Course” beforehand, exploring the basics of Christianity. This will be at a time to be arranged with all concerned, once we know all those who want to be involved. Everyone will also be encouraged to join in with the “My Faith Story” sessions on Tuesday evenings.
Any young people thinking of being confirmed will join the weekly 50 minute sessions based at The Barn next to St Nicholas Church on Thursday evenings. They start at 6.30pm.
Please speak with me further (or phone on 23785) if you are interested.
Peter
LEAVES OF LIFE
Do you remember that last year Barney’s Bunch organised a celebration for the Leaves of Life, an initiative from the Children’s Society which aims to actively engage children in worship and the life of the church through the preparation and presentation of prayer leaves.
Well, we are doing it again this year. We haven’t got a date yet as we don’t want to clash with Christian Aid week but it will be between Easter and Pentecost or as near as we can.
During the celebration Sunday we will be asking the congregation to fill in their prayer leaves to add to ours and jointly put them on the Easter cross which we will cover with ribbons again as we did last year. The aim of the prayer leaves is for children and adults to reflect what they’d like to thank God for and what they’d like to see changed in the community. It is part of the partnership with the Children’s Society and the Church of England, designed by a group of Children’s Work Advisors, the National Worship Development Officer for the Church of England and the Children’s Society.
We were among the first churches in the country to trial the resource. We received some very positive feedback on the way we had used the leaves and grateful thanks for our fund-raising.
This year a ‘my church’ postcard has been developed to gather children’s views on their experience of church. We hope to collate the feedback received here in our church and it will be used to support children’s leaders all doing our best to support the work of the Children’s Society with our fund-raising. After the celebration service we will be holding our sports events, and sell cakes and books.
If you are a member of an organisation and would like to be involved with this – we want to include as many as possible – please contact one of the Barney’s Bunch leaders for the resources. Please also remember we will need lots and lots of cakes and books to sell - watch the pew slip for the date!
Lyn Crowther
ST BARNABAS WIVES
This year St Barnabas Wives are celebrating their 60th birthday year and to mark the occasion we are having a party at the Masonic Hall.
We meet regularly in our church hall, second Thursday of each month and we are a great group of all ages. We have fun and food couple of meetings, couple of outings to the theatre, which we enjoy. We have a selection of speakers with slides or goodies to show us and they are very enthusiastic. We enjoy raising funds for charity each year with a car-boot, and each month a “charity table” where we bring our unneeded gifts and offer them for sale, funds going to our charity.
We are always on the lookout for new members, so if you would like to join us, you will always find a friendly welcome waiting for you.
Chris Chilton
PATRONAGE SCHEME
If you would like to mark a special date, maybe a birthday or anniversary, you could become a Patron of St Barnabas and pay towards the running costs of the church building for that day (cost £25). Patrons names are recorded in a special book kept at the front of the church by the piano.
Patrons for the next few months are:
April: Richard & Danielle Wysocki
June: Jean Kennedy
Douglas Cook
July: Michael & Angela Clarke
For more information on becoming a Patron ask a Church official or Jackie Campbell.
CHRISTIAN AID LUNCH
on
Saturday 10th May
in Church Hall
donations to Christian Aid
ST BARNABAS SOCIAL CLUB
This group meets every Tuesday afternoon from 2-4pm (apart from school holidays) in the Church Hall.
The programme for the next two months is:
April 1: Meal out & mystery ip
April 8: Tea & cakes social
April 15: First Aid awareness (Red Cross training)
April 22: Talk/slide show on barn owls
April 29: Red Hill Choir with ld time songs
May 6: Bingo
May 13: Strawberries & Cream
May 20: Social afternoon
Everyone is most welcome to come and contributes £1.20 per session which includes tea/coffee and biscuits.
FROM THE REGISTER
May they rest in peace … and rise in glory
FUNERALS:
4th March Tony Merry 53 years
And he took them in His arms and blessed them
BAPTISMS:
2nd March Chloe Halsall
Kian John Hodgkinson
MARCH 2008
A JOURNEY OF FAITH FROM WYRE PIDDLE
When I take the bus from Wyre Piddle to Worcester the journey takes approximately 45 minutes. If I then walk to St Barnabas from the city centre, this takes a further 20 minutes. Total journey time 65 minutes.
If I go by car it takes me about 25 minutes from door to door. With this method of transport however, there is the parking problem and I usually have to park in the Rectory drive. Reversing out of the drive is the problem for me – I have already hit the gate and scratched the car “a little bit”!
Like any journey, you have to allow time to reach your destination. Although the car is convenient, sometimes I prefer making my journey by bus.
A couple of weeks ago I was waiting at the bus stop outside the pub in Wyre Piddle and started chatting to someone who lives in the village but I hadn’t met before. You might be surprised that, in our small community in Wyre Piddle, there are people I haven’t met, but in these days of busy lives and with no local shop or post office, the opportunity to meet is often reduced. Anyway, there we were at the bus stop and we had a really good chat. We learnt a lot about each other and because it was a beautiful, crisp, sunny morning we were able to admire and enjoy our surroundings. When I was on the bus, I was able to gaze out of the window and enjoy the scenery as we slowly made our way towards Worcester. There was much to enjoy. The frost was on the fields, the first signs of spring bulbs in the gardens and there was a clear blue sky. When I got to Worcester I decided to walk to St Barnabas rather than catch the No.35 bus. During that walk I noticed shops I didn’t even know existed, I saw an array of different sorts of houses and gardens and best of all, felt immense pleasure as people I passed said good morning and smiled at me.
My vocational journey is a bit like the journey I’ve just described. By taking the slower, gentler route I am able to
discover more about myself and others, see more clearly the gifts that God has given us in creation and see how God’s love can be seen in the smile of a stranger. If I tried to take the fast route I might miss some important spiritual messages and, rather like my accident with the car in Peter’s drive, come to a halt as I hit an obstacle.
St Barnabas and Christ Church have become very important steps for me on my journey. From the first day that I arrived at the doors of St Barnabas, the warmth and friendship that the church offered was clearly felt. I was welcomed immediately. As I’ve said, a ‘good morning and a smile’ is the best message of God’s love you can give to a stranger.
So, what else am I learning? Well, from Peter, your Rector, I am not only learning about the day to day role of the Parish priest (far busier than I could ever imagine), but also getting lots of encouragement. I also value his wisdom as he helps me in my spiritual development. From church members at St Barnabas and Christ Church I have found friendship. Friendship, that comes from our love of God and unites us all wherever we come from.
My placement with you is until Easter but, somehow I think I might stay a bit longer……..
Nancy Murray-Peters
EASTER
LILIES
Easter lilies in remembrance of a loved one are £3 each. If you would like one, please put money in envelope and write name on the front. Hand in to Sheila Bright by Palm Sunday, 16th March.
ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 2007
Would all groups please submit their reports for the Annual Reports booklet to jackiecampbell@talktalk.net or put in tray at the back of church as soon as possible.
Thankyou!
CAN YOU HELP AT LUNCH CLUB?
The Lunch Club is becoming so popular that we are now looking for more volunteers! You only have to give an hour or so once a month and all you need is smile. See the rota in church if you can help.
Also, if you or someone you know would like to attend this fortnightly club, please pick up a leaflet or speak to Sheila.
DR JOY TETLEY
The Archdeacon of Worcester, the Venerable Dr Joy Tetley, will end eight years of service to the diocese at the end of April this year. Her final participation in the main Sunday services at the Cathedral will be on Easter Day, 23 March 2008.
A service of farewell and thanksgiving for her ministry will take place in April. She is leaving to resume and develop a ministry involving theological research and writing, teaching and preaching and will be based in Oxford.
COUNTRYTASTIC
This event for children takes place at Three Counties Showground on 27th March. If you can offer help with this event, see noticeboard or speak to Lyn Crowther for more details
GREAT WITLEY OPERATIC SOCIETY Great Witley Operatic Society will perform Trial by Jury & The Sorcerer at the Swan from 8th to 12th April. Tickets are available at a discounted price—is anyone interested in making up a church group to go to this?
See noticeboard at back of church for more information.
APCM
This year’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held in the church at 7.00pm.
DREAM COMES TRUE FOR PEOPLE OF OLVENSTEDT
Magnificent, friendly, fantastic—Olvenstedt’s no longer former baroque village church—the church of St Laurentius—shines out as beautifully as it did 300 years ago. For the people of Old Olvenstedt it is the realisation of a dream. After four years of work, the church community, the development committee and the builders celebrated the completion of the renovation recently.
For five years the towers of St Laurentius have been closed to visitors. The building inspectors banned entrance on safety grounds at the beginning of 2003 because death-watch beetle had eaten into the roof construction. The future of St Laurentius was uncertain.
In 2002 the development committee, founded with Kristine Bollman, (a member of the Magdeburg exchange group) was determined to rescue this symbol of the old village. What once seemed impossible was brought to a glorious conclusion with the official completion of the renovation. St Laurentius, restored from the foundations under its floor to the tops of its tower, shone out with more than just a new sparkle; in a mammoth project, this house of God has been lavishly restored in a manner that has recreated its former Baroque architecture.
Ochre and terracotta colour, decorations, and wooden carvings such as a baptismal angel distinguish the interior. Outside, care has not only been taken with the colouring of the façade, but also with the park, which has been laid out in its historical outline.
Young people in training programmes and the long-term unemployed in development projects organised through the Job Centres and the State Employment Agency have worked on this project in several stages since 2005. They have rebuilt the nave which had been destroyed in 1724 and the 800 year old military tower. “Without these projects it would have been impossible for the church community and the development group to have succeeded in the restoration,” said Kristine. The group raised about £40,000 and the parish a further £27,000.
Between 2004 and 2008 the restoration was overseen by Sina Stiebler, architect with Dr Ribbert & Saalman, together with the restorer Heinz-Peter Schmidt. The architect raves over her work, “It was a wonderful problem—to work with the builders to reconstruct a church following historical designs.” She was helped by the well restored community archives, for in the church there was scarcely a memory of the glory of former times. “Following the destruction of 1945, the church was bare and simple until 1953, rebuilt with the material available at that time,” said Kristine, “But now a dream has become reality.”
The dedication service will take place on 27th April and it is hoped that there will be a representation from St Barnabas. If you would like to go, please speak to Robin Sykes or Lyn or Clive Crowther.
MAGDEBURG TRIP
Our trip to Magdeburg this year takes place from Friday 23rd May (setting off in the evening) and leaving Magdeburg on Thursday 29th May.
If you haven’t been before, do consider joining us—its always such a wonderful experience and our hosts are so generous and friendly.
See Lyn or Clive Crowther or anyone else who has been before to give more info.
PANCAKE FUN!
On Sunday 3rd February we went to Mrs Chalmers house to make pancakes. Firstly we poured the mixture into the pan and then when they were cooked we tried to flip them. I dropped mine a couple of times but it was still ok. John made a face with chocolate fingers and a cream egg. It was really funny. The best pancake that I made with was chocolate, it was very very nice.
Afterwards we played games. I played yahtzee for the first time and I though it was great.
We made a bit of a mess in Mrs Chalmers kitchen but it was another great night for JAM.
Nicholas & Helen MacPherson
CALL MY BLUFF!
There was singing, fun and games (including Call my Bluff, pictured above) at the Praise B party at the beginning of January.
Praise B meets on the first and third Thursday of the month, at the home of John & Sally Dentith, to enjoy fellowship together in singing God’s praises.
It is not a choir and you don’t need to be able to sing well or read music, only to enjoy singing just for the joy of it.
New members are always warmly welcomed—speak to John or Sally and give it a try!
CYGNUS OLOR (MUTE SWAN)
Cygnus Olor arrayed in white,
In your beauty I delight,
Pleasing is your symmetry
So beguiling are you to me.
Myth and legend you create
Saintly seems to be your state,
Magic too, so I have heard
Are you really just a bird?
Maybe there is found in you
Something spiritual and true,
A peace that you convey
Amid the bustle of the day.
And so spirit all in white
Let me always at your sight,
Stare in wonder and in awe,
Bewitched by you forever more.
Brian Trussler
DID YOU KNOW?
The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.
The diocese was founded in around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury for the tribe of the Hwicce. Today the diocese has 190 parishes, 281 churches and 163 stipendiary clergy. The diocese is divided into two Archdeaconries, the Archdeaconry of Worcester and the Archdeaconry of Dudley.
The work of the Diocese of Worcester is directed through the Diocesan Synod and organised through its boards and committees. The Diocesan budget is £6.8 million, £4.5 million of this is raised by parishes.
FROM THE REGISTER
May they rest in peace … and rise in glory
FUNERALS:
9th January John Carter 75 years
14th January Kenneth Harris 78 years
18th January Michelle Clayton 27 years
5th February Winifred Tetsell 84 years
5th February Irene Baldwin 88 years
8th February John Munslow 67 years
8th February Ray Milner 78 years
8th February Margaret Stoddart 75 years
18th February Richard Morgan 71 years
20th February Maureen Griffiths 60 years
27th February Desmond Cooper 73 years
29th February Baby Joseph Belmonte (stillborn)
And he took them in His arms and blessed them
BAPTISMS:
3rd February Jessica Louise Key
Sophie May Key
Tony Roger Key
Jack John Gurney
Oliver James Gurney
Dale James May
Bobby-Jack May-Terry
FEBRUARY 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ST WULSTAN…1000 TODAY!
When you’re younger, one of the problems of having a birthday in early January is that you get people giving you joint Christmas and birthday presents. When you get to my age (born January 1953, so you work out the slightly depressing number) I’m lucky if I get a card.
However, this January there have been some dates we could all do to remember. 18th – 25th January marked 100 years of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Links with other churches is something to celebrate here. Links with Rainbow Hill Baptist have grown over the last couple of years – based on doing things together, like our joint Lunch Club that (co-incidentally) happened to be officially launched on my Birthday.
This year’s joint service for Christian Unity Week was at St Wulstan’s in Warndon, during their Patronal Festival Weekend, which is where the other notable date comes in – This year it is 1000 years since the birth of Wulstan, who was one of the most famous of Worcester’s bishops.
In the service, we looked at a number of the issues he saw it as his duty to be involved with. Alongside his commitment to reconciliation between Saxons (like himself) and Normans (this was the time of the battle of Hastings), he made sure the sacraments of the church were available to everyone and he had a deep concern for the poor and with issues of social justice like slavery. He embodied so many of the hallmarks of Christianity we need to be thinking about today.
And actually, on the eve of a new Bishop of Worcester being enthroned, that is exactly what the Diocese is asking us to do this year. There is a special Lent Course that has been written on the theme of the Hallmarks of a Living Church, to challenge us as to how far these fine ideals get put into action. They are themes that would have seemed most appropriate to Wulstan. They include unsurprisingly, worship of God, spreading the Gospel and bringing people to Christ, together with offering a welcome to all within the local community. But there is also a challenge to play a part – as did Wulstan - in the elimination of poverty from the world and care for the earth.
There are two groups meeting that people can come along to. One is on Wednesday Evenings in St Barnabas Church Vestry, starting at 7.30pm. The other is at Christ Church on a Monday lunchtime (12.30pm to about 2 pm) over a bread and soup lunch. Please have a word with me if you would like to know any more details.
One final thing. Of course you don’t have to be a Bishop (or a vicar) to show these hallmarks of a living faith. And by way of one small attempt to broaden the platform of sharing Christian vision, I will be sharing this column with others in the local church, who are committed to ministry, with me writing it every other time.
So, next month, it will be written by someone who is exploring the idea of being ordained in the Church and who is on placement in the parish until Easter, just experiencing what ministry is like in a more urban parish than Wyre Piddle, where she lives. So, next month the thoughts of Nancy Murray Peters – Nancy, over to you…
Peter Haddleton
LENT 2008
This year there will be two Lent Courses starting week of February 11th:
· Monday 12.30 at Christ Church with bread & soup lunch
· Wednesday 7.30pm in St Barnabas vestry.
You are welcome to come to all the sessions or just the odd one.
EASTER SERVICES
During Holy Week there will be the evening services each day —more details in the pew slip and next month’s magazine.
CHRISTMAS THANKS!
Just a quick word of thanks to everyone who contributed to such a memorable first Christmas for Vanessa and I here as part of the St Barnabas Church family.
Particular thanks to all those who helped decorate the church so beautifully (and to those who helped to take down all the decorations afterwards!), to everyone who helped organise or take part in any of our special services—especially Barney’s Bunch and all our young people.
There were other special moments like the carol singing round the Parish (and pubs!) which raised £150 for Maggs Day Centre, all the other contributions which brought that up to some £750 in cash and a good variety of Christmas foods which were able to be presented to Maggs for Christmas.
Then alongside all the other contributions there was the Carol singing at Tescos which drew over 20 congregations this year, helping to raise some £1300 for Christian Aid.
So thank you, whatever your contribution, for making it such a good Christmas and a real springboard for all we can do together in 2008.
Finally, on a more personal note, thank you to everyone who made us so welcome as a family, for the cards and gifts (most of them bottles, for some reason!)
Our love and prayers
Peter & Vanessa
HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE
Stephen Agnew of Claines Church is leading a trip to the Holy Land next year from 24th March to 6th April. If you are at all interested in joining the group, please pick up details at the back of church and speak to Peter soon.
MAGDEBURG TRIP
Our trip to Magdeburg this year takes place from Friday 23rd May (setting off in the evening) and leaving Magdeburg on Thursday 29th May.
If you haven’t been before, do consider joining us—its always such a wonderful experience and our hosts are so generous and friendly.
See Lyn or Clive Crowther or anyone else who has been before to give more info.
CANDLEMASS MEAL
on Saturday 2nd February
7.30pmin Church Hall
(funds in aid of Magdeburg visit)
Sign up on noticeboard at back of church
THANK YOU
Gwen would like to thank everyone who sent her a cards and good wishes over the Christmas period. She wasn’t feeling too good then and was unable to reply but is better now and up and about.
CONFIRMATION
The confirmation service on 9th December was a wonderful day for the church family. Bishop Christopher confirmed 12 candidates:
Alison Spratley (who was also baptised), Kirsty Broadbent, Debee Hack, Stephen Allard, Nick MacPherson, Chance Austin-Ricketts, John Hewitt, Grace Withers, Andy Lovelock, Noah Broadbent, Charlotte Hack and Sophie Duffy.
(see photo on centre pages)
LUNCH CLUB
The official opening of the Rainbow Centre Lunch Club took place earlier in January and guest of honour was Victoria Cooper who works for the WiNN Project which gave a grant to get started. The club has been running a couple of months now and is becoming very popular. There is a really friendly atmosphere and the chef and kitchen staff and all the volunteers are doing a great job!
If you or someone you know would like to attend the fortnightly club, please pick up a leaflet or speak to Sheila.
(see photos on centre pages)
PLANNED GIVING ENVELOPES
The Planned Giving envelopes for 2008 are now at the back of church—please collect yours. If you would like to start your regular giving using this method, please see Bill Chalmers.
GET CRAFTY AT FAIRFIELD
The Fairfield Centre has started a new community craft group on Wednesday evenings between 6.30-8.30pm. This group is an opportunity to both learn new crafts and share your skills with others.
The weekly cost is £1 (including refreshments) and everyone is welcome.
For more information phone The Fairfield Centre on 457577 (option 2).
SHOE BOXES FOR THE HOMELESS
At Christmas we sent off over 200 boxes for the homeless in Worcester. These were blessed at a short service following the Carol Singing at Tescos.
Thanks to everyone who contributed and especially to Mary James who did such a good job organising this annual event.
(see photo on centre pages)
CANADA POLAR BEAR ADVENTURE
Churchill Manitoba the Polar Bear capital of the World. We stayed here three nights, snow on the ground with more falling, and it was very cold.
Our first day on the tundra, a tundra buggy is a bus with very large wheels. Tour guide and naturalist (David Hatch) told us the dos and donts. Do keep your seats when buggy is moving, those in aisle seats put your foot out in the isle to save yourself from being thrown off your seat. Don’t make a sound when polar bears are near the buggy. A ride in a tundra buggy is very very bumpy!
Seeing our fist polar bear was very exciting even at some distance away. Then one came walking up to the buggy, a beautiful animal yellowish in colour with black eyes and nose. First day on the tundra was Remembrance Sunday at 11 o’clock we observed two minutes silence. During the day we sighted more bears, mothers with one cub some with two cubs.
To reach Churchill is by rail or air, population just over 1000. We toured the area around Churchill with its seaport where ships load up with the grain in summer. A bear trap to catch naughty bears, later we saw the polar bear jail where bears are kept until released back into wild. The jail was full, no visitors allowed. The area around Churchill is flat, as snow was on the ground no colour visible. Snow buntings and a white hare sitting under a tree not moving, Inuit sign post, a small church, ending the day at the Post Office to get cards stamped with Churchill Polar Bear Capital of the World.
Last day in Churchill we were back on the tundra, sighted more bears. Two were “play fighting” getting up on their hind legs. At one time during the day we saw seven bears which included mother with two cubs. Bears came up to the buggy and from the viewing platform we were very close up and got some good photos. The temperature was minus 15c. We were on the tundra for two days and we sighted more than 140 polar bears.
We left Churchill for Winnipeg staying overnight before flying to Toronto for three nights. A tour of the city, the trees in autumn colours. To the CN Tower and take the lift to the top. The view was wonderful, the glass floor that you can walk on and look down, I didn’t but did look down! Next day to the Niagara Falls, and took a helicopter ride over the falls, a very enjoyable experience. Then went down to the falls they are massive. The falls are very beautiful with the spray of water. Walking to our meeting place we saw black squirrels and an end to our holiday.
A wonderful Polar Bear Adventure I loved every minute.
Grace Woolley
(See photos on centre pages)
THE GRACEFUL SWAN
I love to watch the graceful swan
Majestic as he glides along.
A stately figure pure and white,
His feathers preened, a glorious sight.
And there beside him swims his pen
His chosen partner so that when
They mate for life a royal pair,
Their love and future both to share.
A show of love their necks entwine
A courtship ritual, as old as time.
Love on display for all to see
Happily contented just to be.
Brian Trussler
WESLEY’S COVENANT PRAYER
At the service on 20th January Revd Stephanie Moyes gave out this prayer for us to ponder:
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure & disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit,
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen
BULLETIN BLOOPERS!
· Thursday night: Potluck Supper—prayer & medication to follow
· This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar
BE A GOOD VIRTUAL NEIGHBOUR THIS LENT
This Lent, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are calling on Christians to ‘be good neighbours’ with a range of suggestions from leaving a thankyou note for your postie to polishing someone else’s shoes – as part of an innovative Lent campaign.
Last year, more than 130,000 people joined in with Love Life Live Lent, launched by the Church of England to give inspiration for simple acts of service that can spread happiness in our communities. In the latest development of the campaign, the suggestions are being delivered not only through two colourful booklets, but also through a range of social networking sites such as Facebook and Flickr. It is hoped that these websites will help develop an online community of ‘Love Life Live Lenters’ who will share their experience of following the daily suggestions.
Most of the actions can be performed individually, while others require a group working together, and include:
· Spend a day trying to exist on just £1.40 – over half the world’s population only have that amount to spend each day
· Cook or eat cuisine you haven’t tried before
· Find out about volunteering in a prison or about supporting prisoners’ families
· Go a whole day without gossiping and praise someone behind their back instead
The Archbishops are commending the campaign, acknowledging in their joint foreword to the booklets: “For most of us, life is busy and pressured. It can be difficult to take time out to be with family and friends or to help to make our communities, local or global, clean and secure places of generosity. But Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves.”
The full colour pocketsized booklet comes in two versions – one for adults and ‘youth’, one for children – each packed with 50 suggested actions to encourage people to be good neighbours.
Love Life Live Lent is available as a fullcolour booklet for just £1 from Christian bookshops or on the web at:
www.chpublishing.co.uk
FROM THE REGISTER
May they rest in peace … and rise in glory
FUNERALS:
19th November John Rollins 77 years
29th November Albert Essex 88 years
12th December Nicola Bell 25 years
14th December Ronald Cale 77 years
28th December Jean Powell 73 years
7th January Jeannette Gandy 64 years
15th January Evelyn Coglan 77 years
15th January Doris Eva Fox 93 years
18th January Raymond Finch 77 years
21st January Linda Holmes 59 years
25th January Ernest Thomas Clarke 68 years
And he took them in His arms and blessed them
BAPTISMS:
2nd December Isobel Izel Dugen
Imogen Elizabeth May
Sadie Marie Cambridge
Holly Elizabeth May Weston
9th December Alison Jane Spratley
6th January Shaydon Glenn La-Croix
Casey-Ann Evens
Liam Ashley Stock
DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008
IS THAT THE TIME ALREADY?
“Has St Barnabas School really been up twenty years? – Never !”
“I don’t know where this year has gone!” “Christmas will be here before you know it and I haven’t even begun thinking about ….” A familiar story? Do you wonder where the time has gone?
Vanessa and I have been here since Easter this year and suddenly Christmas in almost upon us. And next year, Easter is as early as it can be and Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent – is on February 6th!
There’s so much to cram into such a short time this year. We have sent record numbers of Operation Christmas Child “shoe boxes” full of little gifts for youngsters abroad; by the time you read this, the Christ Church Patronal Service (and shared lunch) will be over and our “Christmas Cracker workshop” there is on Saturday December 1st. The next day comes Advent Sunday with its theme of shedding new light on everything. On Sunday 9th, at our 10am main service, we will be welcoming Bishop Christopher Mayfield for our Confirmation Service, with all that means for the 12 members of our Christian family – a mix of adults and young people. There, they will confirm for themselves their determination to try and follow the Christian way of life and take on their responsibilities to try and be an example to others of putting their faith into practice. And it’s great that it’s at the main service on that Sunday morning so that the congregation they are all part of will be celebrating all that with them.
At Christmas itself, there is so much crowded into a few days; Carol services with all the schools, Carol singing round the parish on the evening of Sunday 23rd, before the traditional Crib & Carol Services on Christmas Eve at Both Churches, the Midnight service at St Barnabas and then suddenly, Christmas is actually here (and just as suddenly, gone!).
However, stay with me for a moment, this is a bumper two month edition of the magazine (So, I’m pleased to say, I won’t need to be racking my brains to meet a Christmas Day deadline for my next article!).
With the New Year comes the season of Epiphany, which builds on the Christmas message of being able to encounter God in a fresh and new way. It is when we think about the moments in which people were able to first glimpse God in the person of Jesus. The season is traditionally associated with three events which in different ways signalled the start of Jesus’ work and ministry. There is the visit of the Wise Men near his birth when he was presented with gifts symbolising his true Kingship (gold), his link with God (frankincense) and his sacrificial death (myrrh).
There is his baptism by John the Baptist that starts his public ministry when he was about thirty and the first miracle (or “sign” of his authority and identity) recorded in St John’s gospel, when he turned water into wine. In a way all these incidents had elements about them of being plunged headlong into something when the need became clear. And of course the three year ministry this kick-started was to be over all too soon with Good Friday (and of course Easter Day). The implications of the Easter event are what we need to reflect on in Lent and the Diocese has produced some excellent Lenten resources for next year giving local churches ideas for using our time and resources more effectively – because there is never enough of either for what we would like to do.
But all that’s for the next edition, so I’ll stop there. Believe me; it will be here before you know it.
Peter Haddleton
THANK YOU!
A big 'Thank You' to all of you that sponsored my attempt at the Great North Run. I had a fantastic weekend and managed to get round in 1hour 41 minutes (just a little behind Paula Radcliffe!) The total amount raised was £434 and Mentorlink are very grateful. Thank you again.
Sue Shacklock
(See photo on centre pages)
CHRISTMAS STARS
Instead of our usual pew ends in memory of loved ones, this Christmas we are having named stars on the lights of the Christmas tree. There will be a plan of the tree showing where individual stars are placed. If you would like a star, the cost is £3 which should be handed in by Sunday 16th December.
FIREWORKS TRIP
Nearly 20 people went along to Worcester Football ground for the fireworks display at the beginning of November. They all had a great time—thanks go to Ian and Alison Chambers for organising this trip.
MANY THANKS FROM BARNEY’S BUNCH
The children from Barney’s Bunch made up 51 boxes (a record number) packed with lots of goodies and Christmas wishes for Operation Christmas Child. After being blessed by Revd Stephanie Moyes, they were taken to St Paul’s Church last Sunday on the first leg of the journey to children in Kurdistan.
Thanks to everyone who helped and donated in any way.
See photos on centre pages
Christian Aid
SING FOR CHANGE
Carol Singing for Christian Aid
at Warndon Tesco
on Saturday 22nd December at 9am
PROCLAIM THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
HAVE A GOOD SING & CHEER UP HARASSED SHOPPERS
HELP OTHERS TO HELP THE WORLD’S POOREST PEOPLE BY GIVING TO CHRISTIAN AID
All welcome!
For more details see Helen Lubin (610580)
CHRISTMAS DINNER AT THE YMCA
My first experience was in 2005 when I volunteered to help with the Christmas meal after reading a small notice at St Johns. The YMCA is housed in a huge old building, formerly an orphanage, in Henwick Road, St Johns.
I arrived about 11am and was taken to the kitchen to join our merry team of two men and four women. The chef had left a list of what needed doing, and at what time; all the vegetables (potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower) were prepared, standing in pans of cold water; cooked sliced turkey and beef, in gravy, was arranged in large trays in the fridge; containers of Christmas pudding and mince pies were ready to heat through in the microwave.
The first job was to make sandwiches for the 60 supper boxes; we used brown and white sliced bread with ham or cheese filling and wrapped double rounds for each box. Everyone also got a packet of crisps, bar of chocolate, portion of cake and fruit.
Next the dining room had to be prepared for the festive meal; we moved the tables together into a horseshoe shape and covered them with red paper table cloths and serviettes; each place was marked with a cracker and popper.
Going back to the kitchen we put the huge pans of vegetables on to boil and the trays of meat had to be juggled around on shelves in the ovens (a food thermometer is provided to ensure the correct temperature is reached). The saucepans are large and heavy, so it was really necessary for two people to carry them to the sink to drain.
Were there any problems?!!! - we forgot to cook the cabbage, we couldn’t find the matches to light the ovens, the custard was so thick that we cut it in slices. There wasn’t room for the chipolata sausages in the oven so they had to be hastily grilled in batches. The heated trolley did keep the food hot, but the plates were only tepid.
The first year the diners were mostly teenagers and not a very happy bunch. Last year, however the average age was 40+, and they were really appreciative of the special food.
A big smile is probably your most important “tool” for a very very worthwhile day. If you are interested I can tell you more—Janet 723556 or leave a message for Edwin Davidson, the Manager on 423197.
Janet Hastings
CHRISTMAS BOXES FOR THE HOMELESS IN WORCESTER
Once again we are making up these boxes and as usual, we aim to give one to each homeless person in the city, through the Maggs Day Centre and St. Paul’s hostel. We also hope to give boxes to women and children through the Women’s Refuge and ASHA centre, and the YMCA and elderly isolated people in our community. If you know of anyone who will not receive many Christmas gifts, please let me know.