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Cheltenham

United Reformed

Church

In Touch

May 2013

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Welcome to In Touch – the magazine of Cheltenham United Reformed

Church.

Cheltenham United Reformed Church is a joint Pastorate of the

3 United Reformed Churches in Cheltenham. This means that they share

a Minister – Revd Maz Allen – and indeed they work very closely

together in all respects. New readers, who may also be new to the area,

can be assured of a warm welcome at all 3 Churches:-

St Andrew’s United Reformed Church is situated in Cheltenham town

centre. It is a former Presbyterian Church built in 1885. Recent

renovations have retained its essential character whilst at the same time

delivering an impressive facility meeting the needs of the 21st Century.

Current membership is around the 100 mark.

Prestbury United Reformed Church serves the village of Prestbury to

the north of Cheltenham. It is a former Congregational Chapel built in

1866. Current membership is around the 20 mark. Services are normally

held at Prestbury on only the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sundays of each month.

The Church in Warden Hill is a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP)

between the Anglican and URC communities serving the large residential

districts of Hatherley and Warden Hill to the south of Cheltenham.

Sunday morning services currently alternate between St Christopher’s and

the URC Centre with a typical congregation of 85. Ministry is shared

between the URC Minister (Revd Maz Allen) and members of the

Anglican South Cheltenham Team Ministry of whom the Revd Jacqui

Hyde has particular responsibility for The Church in Warden Hill. The

Church in Warden Hill has its own church magazine – The Lantern – but

its activities and events are also publicised in this In Touch magazine.

The website of the Cheltenham United Reformed Church

(www.urcic.org.uk) and the website of The Church in Warden Hill

(www.tciwh.org.uk) are further sources of information about the

churches.

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Dear Friends,

As the investigation into the Boston bombings continues, there will be

many dazed, frightened, angry and grieving people wondering what the

future holds. Those who have been badly injured are, in effect, beginning

life again, adjusting to disability. For the bereaved there will be a vacuum

– a void – where once there was love.

For the first disciples there must have been similar feelings of standing on

the brink of the unknown. Although they had rejoiced in knowing that

Jesus had risen from the dead he was not physically with them. They were

all on their own. Or so they must have thought.

The revelation at Pentecost that they were being given the strength to

overcome fear and doubt and to witness to the power of God through the

love of Jesus Christ must have been an extraordinarily liberating moment.

How marvellous to be given the gift of the Holy Spirit! We read the story

as if it could only happen to those worthy first disciples. Yet of course we

know that the flame of committed faith has touched generation after

generation and that He now resides in us. We DO know that, right? We

DO know that each of us possesses the Holy Spirit, don’t we?

I pray that the Boston survivors will keep the flame burning brightly

within, not only to assist in healing but also to declare a victory over evil.

The blessing of God,

Father,

Son

AND Holy Spirit

Be with us all.

Amen. Maz

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CHELTENHAM UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

Our prayers: we hold in our prayers those for whom we are concerned:

Celia Hodges, Sandy Heaven, Jeane Combes, Alan Brown, Harriet

Wright..

Baptisms

Congratulations to the relatives and family of Mr and Mrs Whitehurst

whose daughter Molly Whitehurst was baptised at St Andrew’s on Sunday

21st April.

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Letters….

Seminar at St Matthew’s

On Sunday 5th May at St Matthew’s at 2.30pm, there is an afternoon's

seminar with Revd. Dave Bookless, author and co-founder of A Rocha

UK on the subject of 'Eco-Congregation'. You are all warmly invited.

Please let anyone know who you think may be interested.

Lynda McKeown

Kay’s Bookshop—Ann Standring

I recently bought a book from Kay’s Bookshop at St Andrew’s, and

thought I would like to share it with you.

‘Once Blind’ by Kay Marshall Strom – The life of John Newton.

The story starts with his early troubled childhood, His father was a naval

Captain and was away from home frequently. John eventually joined the

Navy but became a blasphemous troublemaker and no captain wanted him

on their ship disrupting the crew. He was eventually traded on a slave

ship. In the synopsis of the book it says ‘God pursued John Newton with

relentless love and amazing grace.’. John Newton himself testified his

transformation after reaching rock bottom in his life and in the writing of

‘Amazing Grace’.

He and his friend William Wilberforce worked tirelessly for the abolition

of the African Slave Trade.

A well known story I am sure but I found it a compelling story and wasn’t

satisfied until I had finished the book.

By the way there are still copies on Kay’s Bookshelves!

Ann

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Wednesday Women

Bob Alger is the speaker at Wednesday Women on 1st

May. The illustrated talk will be on his recent trip to

Kenya.

The June meeting will be our reading group night. The

book to be discussed is ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ by

James Bowen.

The meetings start with refreshments at 7 15pm. All are welcome.

Elspet Carter

Over 35 years of Volunteering

Sandra Jeans, wife of Tony Jeans, has been a volunteer for the

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust for over 35 years. She has undertaken a

range of work from being a Secretary and Archivist to a nature reserve

management committee, to being editor of 'Wildlife News' for some 14

years. Recently her work was honoured by the Trust at its AGM when she

received the Armstrong Award for her volunteering. This was awarded

particularly for her most recent work on Wikipedia for Gloucestershire's

nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. She has a guest

blog available on the Trust web site in which she talks about this work.

http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/blog/

community/2013/03/13/wiki-ed-volunteer

Sandra

Christian Aid Week :12th to 18th May 2013

Volunteer to be a collector

Please consider volunteering to be a collector this year – the URC in Cheltenham

collects in several different areas and we can arrange for you to collect in your

own neighbourhood if you prefer. Please contact Andrew Veal (Cheltenham

515797) if you can spare a few hours in CA Week.

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C4 CHILDREN’S CHOIR begin rehearsals for the comedy musical Porridge on

Friday 26th April, 6pm – 7pm Prestbury URC.

Please encourage children/grandchildren to come along.

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What Sort of Music Attracts Spies

Do you ever shout at your television, even throw things at it; at that

mumbling actor, or that pretentious expert, or that blind and biased

football referee? Or is it that intrusive background music - you know, the

sort of noise that even a moggy out on the tiles would be ashamed of - that

interferes with your enjoyment of some big scene? Ah yes, background

music: by turns complementing, inspiring, maddening. What about film

music then? It’s always been there, and to be honest sometimes it’s more

memorable than the film. Well, the Tuesday Forum - see, I get you there

in the end - is looking forward to a treat on 14th May with Peter Meason

and “British Film Music of the Golden Age”. Get ready for a dose of

harmonious nostalgia. Talking of the cinema, have you ever wondered

who is sitting next to you? It could be a sleeper or a mole. That ordinary

looking cove noisily crunching his popcorn could be a secret agent, that

amorous couple in the back row could be exchanging secrets. Could all

be spies, but how would we know? Ann Grant might offer some help

here with her talk on “Spycraft” on 28th May. Secrets will be exposed!

We just need to keep a watch out for gatecrashers - spies, double agents

and the like (disguised as nuns or vicars or itinerant bishops maybe, you

never know!) picking up a few hints. But be warned, if Ann should

accidentally give too much away it may be necessary to eat you

afterwards. Oh yes! - we’ve got a bring-and-share tea as well. How can

you stay away!? Answers on a postcard please to - - - oh never mind!

What a marvellous way to finish the current season before the long hot

summer sets in (you heard it here first!).

The Forum’s most recent adventures have been with Geoff

Harmsworth, whose six month tour as a young RAF flyer at a

maintenance base revealed what some RAF flyers got up to when they

weren’t flying, and with Peter Roberts, who gave us a graphic account of

what happens when birds and aircraft come into abrupt contact.

The Forum meets at 2.30pm in the Garden Room at St Andrew’s

URC. See you there then on the 14th and/or 28th May: and don’t forget

the June 11th outing to Bourton House: Ian and Joan Thomson have all

the details.

Keith Norcott

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Cheltenham United Reformed Church

United Pastorate Service

on

Sunday 12th May

at St Christopher’s Church

at 10.30am

Please come along and celebrate our Unity

There will be no services at Prestbury or St Andrew’s on

this day

Ascension Day Service - Thursday May 9th.

There is going to be an Ascension Day Service at 8.00pm with our Town

Centre Ecumenical Cluster Group on the top of Leckhampton Hill. There

is a car park at the top for those who do not want to climb the hill and a

more energetic group meeting at Daisy Bank at 7.15pm for those that

want to walk up. See Kay Boulton for more information.

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The Lies We Tell Ourselves:

Ending Comfortable Myths About Poverty

“Churches have a special interest in speaking truthfully about poverty.

The systematic misrepresentation of the poorest in society is a matter of

injustice which all Christians have a responsibility to challenge.”

1. ‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to work

Child poverty is most commonly blamed, by churchgoers and the general

public alike, on “their parents not wanting to work”. Yet the majority of

children in poverty are from working households. In-work poverty is now

more common than out-of-work poverty.

2. ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs

Churchgoers and the wider public cite addiction as the second most

common cause of child poverty. While addiction is devastating for the

families and communities touched by it, fewer than 4% of benefit

claimants report any form of addiction.

3. ‘They’ are not really poor – they just don’t manage their money

properly

Nearly 60% of the UK population believes that the poor could cope if

only they handled their money properly. The experience of living on a low

income is one of constant struggle to manage limited resources, with

small events having serious consequences. Statistics show that the poorest

spend their money carefully, limiting themselves to the essentials.

4. `They’ are on the fiddle

Over 80% of the UK population believe that “large numbers falsely claim

benefits”. Benefit fraud has decreased to historically low levels - the kind

of levels that the tax system can only dream of. Less than 0.9% of the

welfare budget is lost to fraud.

5. ‘They’ have an easy life

Over half the British public believes benefits are too high. Government

ministers speak of families opting for benefits as a lifestyle choice. Yet we

know that benefits do not meet minimum income standards. They have

halved in value relative to average incomes over the last 30 years. We

know the ill and the unemployed are the people least satisfied and happy

with life.

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6. ‘They’ caused the deficit

The proportion of our tax bills spent on welfare has

remained stable for the last 20 years. It is ridiculous to

argue, as some have, that increasing welfare spending is

responsible for the current deficit. Public debt is a problem

but why is it being laid at the feet of the poorest?

Read the new report from the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church,

the United Reformed Church and the Church of Scotland and find

more resources at www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandlies

Cheltenham United Reformed Church

Open Church Council Meeting

On

Thursday 23 May at 7.30pm

At the Church in Warden Hill

United Reformed Church Centre

This is your opportunity to come along and

discuss the future of the CURC as we no

longer have a united AGM

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Reading Group

The next meeting of the Reading Group will take place at

7.30pm on Wednesday 22nd May at Prestbury URC,

Cheltenham. The novel we are reading and discussing next will

be ‘The Women in White’, a novel published in 1859 which is

generally considered to be the first ever mystery novel. It set new

standards of suspense and excitement and at the time outsold the works of

Charles Dickens, who was Wilkie Collin's friend and mentor.

New members and/or past members would be most welcome. For any

further information contact Mary Cummings

Knit and Chat Group - More information from Donna

Sutherland

The next meeting is on Thursday 16th May at St

Andrew’s at 1.00pm.

BIRTHDAY TEA AT THE MANSE

for April, May, June birthdays

SATURDAY 25TH MAY

3.30pm – 5pm

Please note amended time

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‘THE LIGHT GROUP’

will meet at St Andrew’s on Tuesday 7th and

21st of May from 12.15pm – 1.15pm.

Everyone is very welcome to come along.

Do bring your lunch if you would like to.

Coffee and tea will be available.

We are going to be looking at Philippians.

Any questions please contact:

Kay 01242 222005

kay@urcic.org.uk

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

Psalm: 119:105

The Footsloggers walking group with a walk around the Sapperton area during April

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CHELTENHAM OPERA SOCIETY

ENGLISH TOURING OPERA

RECITAL

Thursday 2 May 2013

12.00 to 1.15 pm

St Andrew’s Church, Montpellier Street, Cheltenham

Charne Rochford Tenor Cozmin Sime Baritone

Carlos del Cueto Piano

Arias and duets for tenor and baritone

They will also talk about their careers and answer questions

Tickets £8 from the Tourist Information Office

77 The Promenade, Cheltenham (01242 522878)

or at the door

Tea and coffee will be served from 11.30 am

Light lunches will be available after the recital

www.cheltenhamoperasociety.org.uk

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Footsloggers:

Friday 17th May Footsloggers Walking Group.

Details of the walk to be led

by George and Marcia, are to

be found on Church Notice

Boards nearer the time.

The Quiz held on 23rd March at St Andrew’s in aid of Church

Funds

Thank you to all who turned out on a very, very cold evening. Everyone

seemed to enjoy themselves as there was much laughter, especially

among the Warden Hill team (who won). We especially appreciated the

help of the group who helped tidy up at the end of the evening, thank

you. The grand amount of money taken for the church was £111. Watch

this space there will be another quiz happening in the future. Thank you

all again, Lyn and Peter Ricketts

Smoke Alarms

The fire service offers free home safety check and fits smoke alarms free

of charge. To nominate someone, with their permission, or yourself,

contact 0800 180 4140. It really could save a life.

Insurance

Before your insurance is due, be it for house or car insurance it may be

worth you checking different sites on the computer, if you cannot do it

or do not have a computer do ask a friend. We had been with our

insurance for many, many years and naively thought they were taking

care of us. We decided to check ourselves and saved nearly £1,000.

Don't be a naive as we were. Lyn and Peter

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Safe At Home, Gloucestershire works in partnership with the County

Council and local authorities together with NHS Gloucestershire. We

provide a vital service that helps older or vulnerable people and people with

disabilities to remain living in their homes by ensuring they are in good

repair and adapted for their needs.

Our services include: information, signposting and practical help with

housing repairs, improvements; renovations and adaptations which support

independent living at home; small repairs service for minor adaptations to

help people to live more safely.

We also offer confidential advice, and support –

advice on housing options and helping you decide which is best for

you

advice and information about grants and benefits and funding for

works

Help accessing other local support services

On your behalf we can manage any works carried out in your home, for

example drawing up plans, obtaining estimates and liaising with

contractors, council grant officers and occupational therapists.

To request a free home visit, or to talk to any member of our team, call us

on FREEPHONE 0800 0323139.

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Emails….

On Saturday 6th April: The Scottish Society Highland Dancers

“Dancing Through Life” at Balcarras School at 6pm

Congratulations to Laura Stagg for creating a memorable event,

celebrating the work of the Highland Dancers who meet each Saturday at

St Andrew’s and especially the leadership of Pat, leader and trainer for

many years

This was an excellent programme showing how a dancer’s skills are

developed. The commentary was illuminating and entertaining and the

dancing varied and exciting. The participation of dancers of all ages was

most impressive.

The “cabaret” style with audience sat at tables and with refreshments

available at the end made for a relaxed and informal evening.

It was good to see the awards of certificates to dancers who had been

successful in the various examinations with Douglas MacGregor as

Society President making the presentation.

Laura carried a huge load in production, training, choreography, writing

and presentation and she can be very proud of the outcome. I know she

appreciated the support of her family and friends, especially from her

mum, Alison.

If the Highland Dancers decide to make this an annual event, get it in your

diary!

Tony Jeans

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Pensioners’ Forum

at

St Andrew’s United Reformed Church (near Queen’s Hotel)

Programme for 2013

Meets on the 1st Wednesday of the Month

You are invited to the following Talks 11am – 12 noon

Wednesday 1 May Ovarian Cancer

Maggie Morris & Jeni Craig

Wednesday 5 June Victim Support

Christine Nicholson

Wednesday 3 July Which Hearing Aid?

Hidden Hearing

FREE ENTRY – ALL ARE WELCOME

Coffee Bar open from 10.00am – 12 noon

Coffee/Tea 50p

www.urcic.org.uk

Thought for the day:

If you see someone without a smile,

give one of yours.

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Pensioner's Forum

At the Pensioner's Forum at St Andrew’s which took place on April 3rd,

we were told about "The Gloucestershire Villages and Community

Agents". Cheltenham agent Amanda Wragg, described how the service

worked; agents provide a free service to the over fifties by providing

direct help with a variety of problems or referral to an appropriate agency.

So far any problem that may arise you can contact Amanda on

07534064181 or her colleague Caroline Sharp on 07534064163. They

also cover the Shurdington area and would offer advice on where to get

help for those in other areas. Further information is available on

www.villageagents.org.uk.

Perhaps due to the freezing cold weather or continuing Easter holidays,

only a very small number turned up for this event, which was a pity as the

talk was very informative and interesting raising many important issues.

Ann Lewis has organised plenty of future events on the first Wednesday

of each month. Please tell your friends about these mornings as we are

sure you will find them friendly and informative. Come in for a hot drink

and biscuit from 10.00am.

Lyn and Peter Ricketts (standing in temporarily for Ann Lewis)

Pensioners’ Forum – Wednesday 1st May – Ovarian Cancer

This month we have two health professionals Maggie Morris and Jeni

Craig, coming to give us a presentation on Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK.

It usually affects women who have reached their menopause – about

85% of women diagnosed are over the age of 50, though it can occur

in younger women.

Most women with ovarian cancer are treated with a combination of

surgery and chemotherapy.

So don’t bury your head in the sand, come along find out the truth.

As usual the coffee bar will be open from 10.00am and the talk will begin

at 11.00am. Please invite your friends and neighbours.

Ann Lewis

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Community film show dates in Warden Hill, the dates in Brackets are

Tony’s Classic Film Shows:

May 11 - (18), June 15 - (22).

Classic Film Show

The screenings will be one a month from January to June on a Saturday

afternoon, fitted around Community Film. We will be at the Warden Hill

URC Centre, showing at 2.15pm with the doors open at 2.00pm.

Classic Films Listings: Saturday afternoon in Warden Hill URC

Centre at 2.15pm (doors open at 2)

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Plus Another Classic Film Extra on Tuesday 4th June 2013 at St

Andrew’s at 7pm

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St Andrew’s News:

St Andrew’s Charity for May - The Westminster College Appeal

We can do no better than repeat this short edited update from the appeal

convenor, Brian Long.

The building works necessary to carry out our project will occupy about

14 months, during which the College must continue to operate. So the

only practicable time to start work is during the long summer vacation,

beginning at the end of June. Accordingly, we have been hoping to begin

work in June 2013, in order to avoid the higher costs that would be

entailed were we to delay for a further year. The sum raised to date (5th

April) by the appeal is £6,704,562: so we are close to our £7,000,000

target; but we are not yet there and it would be irresponsible to commit to

expenditure that we could not meet. The College Governors have

therefore agreed to sell certain property not forming part of the College, to

a value sufficient to cover the current shortfall, although we shall continue

our efforts to raise that money through the appeal, in order to replenish the

reserves represented by the property.

During February we presented an up-dated business plan to the Finance

Committee of the United Reformed Church, and consulted the United

Reformed Church Trust, which owns the freehold of our site. The Finance

Committee approved the business plan, and the URC Trust authorised the

Governors to proceed with the project. Accordingly, on 18th March the

Governors delegated two of their number to sign a building contract and

that is likely to happen later this month (April), leading to construction

work beginning on 24th June. In short, we have secured the funds

necessary to fund the project, preparations are in hand to start work in

June and we expect the work to be complete by August 2014.

Our annual Open Day will be held on Saturday, 25th October 2014: I

invite you to put the date in your diary, for we hope that St Andrew’s,

Cheltenham (and all those other churches who have supported the appeal)

will be represented here on that day.

Brain Long

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Eco Church

Freecycle: Have you any useful items you no longer need that might be of

use to someone else - please let Ann Lewis know with full details of the

item and please leave your telephone number so we can get back to you.

A Yogurt Maker and Coffee Maker - Electrical, (2 items). Carol

Drummond - E-mail: ecochurch@urcic.org.uk

Gents Bicycle and Office Supplies (folders & guides) (free of

charge). Phone Tony Jeans

Baby Belling Cooker 120RMk6 - 2 rings, grill and oven. Phone

Avril Haseler

Electric Trouser Press - Phone Avril Haseler

Wanted

The laptop at St Andrew's is now very old and we are seeking a

replacement. Has anyone bought a new laptop recently and would like to

donate their old laptop to the Church. We need one with 4GB of memory.

Please contact Ann Lewis if you can help.

Ann Lewis

Herbs for the garden

Over the next few weeks, Marcus Dann will be helping us create an area

for herbs in the church grounds. Herbs have many uses – culinary,

medicinal and cosmetic and have a long history . We hope the addition of

some herbs will provide an attractive feature which not only looks good

but can be tactile and fragrant. Once we have the patch ready, we will be

looking for cuttings and plants to help us get started e.g. basil, chives,

mint, rosemary. So if you have anything you can spare, please put aside

and we will let you know when we're ready to start planting.

Carol Drummond

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Prestbury News:

Coffee Morning – Saturday 4th May 10.30am to 12.00noon

Please join us for our monthly coffee morning at the Church on Saturday

4th May from 10.30am to 12.00noon. There will also be the usual mix of

teas, coffees, cakes & good company!

It would be great to continue to see the familiar faces but also to see some

new ones.

Spring Fayre / Coffee Morning – Saturday 1st June 10.30am –

12.30pm

Please do join us for our annual Spring Fayre – there will be cakes and

refreshments, a tombola and a raffle with books, jewellery, plants, cards,

and much more for sale.

‘JUMP4JOY’

at St Andrew’s URC

Sunday 19th May 2013

Informal Short Service for all the family at 9.30am to 10.00am

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Easter at Prestbury

Prestbury URC celebrated Easter by again hosting the village Parish

Cross. Several years ago the Bishop of Gloucester suggested that as a

Christmas Tree was the universal symbol of Christmas then churches

might display the universal symbol of Easter – the Cross.

In Prestbury, the URC is on the main road through the village and the

most prominent church and so it was decided that we should host the

Cross. One of our members, Mike Aldridge, made it to attach to the

Church railings so that there was no chance of it being blown over or

removed. On Palm Sundays we lash large palms to it and on Good Friday

they are replaced by a Crown of

Thorns and a blood-red

winding sheet. One of the

ladies from the Parish Church

(Dee Graham) makes the circle

of spring flowers which is put

on the Cross on Easter Sunday

to represent the Resurrection.

Throughout the two weeks the

Cross is also floodlit in the evenings making a bold statement to the

public.

This year the Bishop joined in the Palm Sunday procession between the

two C of E Churches and as the procession passed the URC, he and the

Rector, Revd Canon Michael Cozens, came up the path to the URC to be

met by Maz and members of our congregation. He then led members of

the three congregations in a short hymn and a prayer and blessed the

Cross. On such a special occasion it was fortunate that the main road was

temporarily closed for nearby road works and so the procession could halt

in the road in total safety!

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The Church in Warden Hill News:

St. Christopher’s Gardening Club meeting, Thursday 28th March

2013

Our spring show took place with 20 members in attendance (numbers

were down due to church commitments) and a surprisingly good number

of entries considering the cold weather.

….

Floral arrangement Spring Flowers

1. Margaret Scott 1. Margaret Scott

2. Angela Ford 2. Pauline Butler

3. Jacqui Ackhurst 3. Mavis Tickell

Five Mixed Daffodils The Daffodils the same variety

1. Angela Charman 1. John Ford

2. Margaret Scott 2. Jacqui Ackhurst

3. John Ford 3. Angela Charman

Potted Plant

1. Dorothy Baker

2. June Knight

3. Mavis Tickell

4. Margaret Scott

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Notices

The club trip will be to Bowood House on Friday June 28th.

The overall cost will be £33.50, £8.50 for the coach and £25 for a private

tour of the gardens and a two course lunch.

The coach will leave St. Christopher’s at 09:30am and return at 18:00pm

(6pm).

Please contact Barbara for further details.

Two other gardens were mentioned by members as possibly being of

interest:

Mill Dene, near Blockley, is an RHS recommended garden.

Ashton-under-Hill in Worcestershire runs open gardens day with the next

events scheduled for the 8th/9th June with over 20 gardens likely to be

opened in the village over the two days.

Duncan Combs entertains us on May 30th with the “Magic of the Flowers”

in Yunnan, China.

Frank Massoon (plant hunter) in the Cape is the subject of a talk by Jan

Broadway for the June meeting on the 27th.

Shaun Colvin

Community Film Show -Is it a film or not?

You may have noticed recently that we have taken the name of the film to

be shown at the URC centre off the posters outside the building. This is

because the law says that we can publicise the films name on inside

posters, in ‘In Touch’, in ‘The Lantern’ and on our Sunday handouts but

not where the general public can see the name from outside the

premises. Sorry about this but the law is the law! I will aim to have small

flyers available at the shows naming the next show.

The next Community Film Show is on 11th May and the film will be

‘Brave’ - it is cert. PG, 2.30pm start.

The following film is Quartet (12) and will be shown on 15th June.

Hope to see you then.

Brian Miles

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St Christopher’s Senior Club

On the 20th February, Mike Stratford reminded us of the olden days of the

Great Western Railway. Parliamentary approval was given on the 31st

August 1835 to Isambard Kingdom Brunel to construct a broad gauge

railway from London to Bristol, the estimated cost being about £2 million.

However, the final cost amounted to £8 million. In 1892, this type of

gauge was abandoned and the narrow gauge designed by Stephenson took

its place. Brunel was only 27 when he designed this railway line and he

died aged 53 from overwork. The presentation was extremely informative.

We learnt that the Swindon Railway Works by 1920 employed 14,000

workers; the last steam engine called “The Evening Star”, was built there

in 1960 and the works closed on the 27th March 1986. The site is now the

Great Western Retail Outlet Shopping Centre.

In 1981 a group of volunteers started to rebuild the Gloucestershire and

Warwickshire rail line. To date 12 miles have been reopened from the

Racecourse station to Laverton and they eventually hope the line will

reach Broadway. Over 400 volunteers work from Toddington Station. In

2011 part of the embankment collapsed and an appeal was set up. In only

two years one million pounds was raised.

Fr Brian Torode treated us on the 27th February to a delightful,

informative and interesting talk with slides on the Holy Wells of

Gloucestershire and beyond. Long ago people worshipped pagan Gods.

One of these was the God of water, as they believed water to have healing

properties as well as being essential to life. Eventually when Christianity

arrived, people worshipped God at these shrines and wells, naming some

of them after a favourite Saint. We saw numerous Wells, including ones at

Painswick, Stroud, the Forest of Dean, Glastonbury and St. Kenelm’s at

Winchcombe. Some wells had carvings; others were behind railings as

they had been sadly ill treated by the public. Some villages however still

hold decorating ceremonies where flowers are brought and prayers said.

The village of Bisley in the Cotswolds holds such a ceremony every

Ascension day at 2 pm.

Bingo was enjoyed on March 6th. The following Wednesday the Wide

Valley Singers came to entertain us. We always look forward to musical

afternoons. They started their programme with “Chitty Chitty Bang

Bang”, followed by “Dream, Dream, Dream”. Next from a book entitled

29

“Senior Jokes” we heard a hilarious reading about two elderly ladies and

their driving. The tempo changed dramatically and we listened to “Jesu

Joy of Man’s Desiring” by J. S. Bach. Our turn came next and we joined

the choir to sing [very enthusiastically] “Swing Low Sweet Chariots” and

“Down by the Riverside”. Music from Oliver followed, “Food glorious

Food” and “Consider yourself at home”. Songs from musicals are always

popular. A soothing Welsh Lullaby followed, the English title being

“Sleep my dear One”. All too soon, the last two songs were sung, “Look

at the World” by my favourite choral composer John Rutter and the

choir’s signature tune “Mr Blue Sky”.

Sam Quinson from the Gloucestershire Deaf Association visited us on the

20th March. She showed us many helpful gadgets, including telephones,

flashing doorbells, an alarm clock that has a pad that is placed under your

pillow which vibrates when the alarm rings! We viewed a TV listener that

plugs into the TV, with either a neck loop or head set. These are just a few

of the many interesting articles she showed us. Sam also spoke about

hearing aids saying that they should be checked every few months. She

holds clinics to help people who cannot do this for themselves. We were

told it often takes several weeks to get used to a new hearing aid, only

wear it for about 10 minutes at first, gradually building up to all day. Sam

explained that hard of hearing people can feel very isolated and lonely.

She then answered many interesting questions from the members,

explaining that many of us don’t realise our hearing deteriorates as we get

older.

Do join us for interesting talks, refreshments and friendship every

Wednesday afternoon at 2-15 pm.

Sheila Parry

St. Christopher’s Senior Club Programme

for May 2013 at 2.15pm

Date Subject Speaker

1 May Bingo

8 May Songs & Monologues Barry Woods

15 May Uncle Ron? Ian Thomson

22 May Humour in the Church John Beardsley

29 May Bletchley Park Mike Stratford

30

Administration:

For many months now, the In Touch and other interesting articles are

made available for you to read on the church website:

www.urcic.org.uk, thankfully uploaded each month by our webmaster,

Fiona Hall.

Should you wish not to receive your paper copy of In Touch (to save

paper) and / or would like the Church notices sent to you by email,

please feel free to Email: magazine@urcic.org.uk with your request.

The In Touch Coordinators currently for respective churches are as

follows:

Prestbury URC

Please see Ian Brooks directly or forward contributions via e-mail

(ibrooks4@me.com). . Contributions most welcome.

The Church in Warden Hill

Please see Carole Pennington or Brian Miles directly or forward

contributions via e-mail: magazine@urcic.org.uk Likewise

contributions very welcome.

St Andrew’s

Please see John Standring directly or forward contributions via e-mail:

magazine@urcic.org.uk.

***************************************

31

TAI CHI QI GONG

Lida - telephone 01242 233949 e mail: lida@blueyonder.co.uk

QI GONG

At St Andrew’s

with

LIDA VLČEK

NEXT SESSIONS

at 12.15pm

Thursday May 9th

NOTE LATER START TIME

Cost £5.00 per session

Future sessions to be announced

Gentle exercises especially geared to the needs of older people

Based on Chinese traditional practice Promoting self healing and self regulation of the body

New members welcome – call Lida for information

32

Cheltenham URC - Prayer contd

The Oasis - St Andrew’s

Come and spend some time in the prayer area this month. It’s open from

10.00am - 2.00pm each day.

Oasis prayer time takes place every 2nd and 4th Tuesday (and possibly 5th

Tuesday) of the month from 12 noon to 12.30pm in the Sanctuary.

Let’s encourage one another as we meet together to bring our prayers to

God.

The Church in Warden Hill (St Christopher’s)

Every Weekday: Morning Prayer at 8.00am.

Tuesday: Holy Communion & Morning Prayer 10.30am.

5 May Easter 6

Acts 16.9-15

Tewkesbury Road area, Churches and

Schools Samaritans

St Andrew’s coffee bar

Prayers for the World

12 May Easter 7

Acts 16.16-34

Carlton Road area, Churches and Schools

Highbury Church including day centre St Andrew’s Pensioners’ Forum

Prayers for the World

19 May Pentecost

Acts 2.1-21

Charlton Kings area, Churches and Schools

Glenfall house conference centre Adult Christian Education

Prayers for the World

26 May Trinity Sunday

Romans 5.1-5

Dowdeswell, Andoversford areas, Churches

and Schools Care of the environment

CURC Covenant with Oggersheim

Prayers for the World

2 June

Proper 4

Galatians 1.1-12

Hospital area, Churches and Schools

St Paul’s wing, Cobalt unit, Chaplaincy Medical, surgical and maternity care

CURC Team ministry

Prayers for the World

33

MAY DIARY

1 Wed 11.00am SA Pensioners Forum

7.30pm SA Wednesday Women

2 Thur 12noon SA English Touring Opera Recital

4 Sat 10.30am P Coffee Morning

Visit to Prom Praise

5 Sun 10.30am P Julie Jefferies Family Worship

10.30am URCC Family Worship with Val Hobbs

11.00am SA Reverend Maz Allen Communion

6.00pm SC Holy Communion

2.30pm StM Seminar on Eco-congregations

9 Thur 12.15pm SA Qi Gong

11 Sat 2.30pm URCC Community Film “Brave”

1.00pm Glos Synod Training Day, Abbeydale

12 Sun 10.30am P No service

10.30am SC United Pastorate Service Communion

11.00am SA No service

6.00pm SC Evensong

14 Tues 2.30pm SA Tuesday Forum

7.30pm SA Elders meet

15 Wed 7.30pm URCC ECM

16 Thur 1.00pm SA Knit and Chat

18 Sat 2.15pm URCC Classic Film “The 49th Parallel”

19 Sun 9.30am SA Jump4Joy and Breakfast

10.30am P Worship Group

10.30am URCC Reverend Nick Davies Communion

11.00am SA Reverend Maz Allen

6.00pm SC Evensong

22 Wed 7.30pm P Reading Group

23 Thur 7.30pm URCC Open Church Council meeting

25 Sat 2.00pm SA Wedding Blessing

3.00pm Manse Birthday Tea

26 Sun 10.30am P Reverend Maz Allen Communion

10.30am SC Reverend Jacqui Hyde Communion

11.00am SA Kay Boulton

6.00pm SC Evensong

28 Tues 2.30pm SA Tuesday Forum

34

JUNE DIARY

1 Sat 10.30am P Coffee Morning

2 Sun 10.30am P Family Worship

10.30am URCC Dr Rachel Tarling Family Worship

11.00am SA Reverend Maz Allen Communion

6.00pm SC Holy Communion

5 Wed 11.00am SA Pensioners Forum

7.30pm SA Wednesday Women

Weekly Meetings

Mon 9.30am SA Mah Jong

10.00am P Urchins (not summer holidays)

4.30pm WH SC Rainbows (term time only)

5.30pm WHCC Brownies (term time only)

Tues 10.00am SA Parents and Toddlers

8.00pm WH SC House Group

Wed 9.15am SC Little Shepherds (term time only)

2.15pm WH SC Senior Club

7.00pm WH SC Bellringing

Thur 10.00am SA Coffee Bar

3.30pm URCC “Toast” (term time only)

5.30pm WH SC Beavers (term time only)

6.00pm WH SC Brownies (term time only)

6.45pm WH SC Cubs (term time only)

Fri 10.30am Bible Study House Groups (term time only)

Sat 10.00am SA Coffee Bar