A Corporate Act of Prayer

Members of the Society are encouraged to join together in saying the following Collect

at the same time in their own homes, at 10.00 p.m. each Sunday evening.

THE COLLECT OF THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITYO LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend

thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy

succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The Prayer Book Society 2014

Individual articles are © the authors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in

any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Editor, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the

appropriate reprographics rights organisation.

Issue No. 34 · Lent 2014ISSN: 1479-215X

THE PBS JOURNAL

Editor:

The Revd Canon Andrew Hawes

Address for correspondence:

The Prayer Book Society, The Studio,Copyhold Farm, Goring Heath,Reading RG8 7RT

Telephone: 0118 984 2582

E-mail: pbs.admin@pbs.org.uk

Website: www.pbs.org.uk

Special anniversary website: www.bcp350.org

All contributions, including articles,letters for publication, Branch newsand notices of forthcoming events,should be sent to ‘PBS Journal’ at theabove address, or by e-mail topbsj@pbs.org.uk

Submission by e-mail is preferredwhenever possible. Electronicsubmission in editable format (such asWord® or RTF) saves the Editor aconsiderable amount of work. A shortstyle sheet is available from the PBSoffice, and adherence to this is alsovery helpful in reducing the need fortime-consuming subediting. We reservethe right to edit or amendcontributions.

Advertising Manager:

Ian Woodhead

Telephone: 01380 870384

E-mail: ian.woodhead@pbs.org.uk

Produced & printed by SS Media Ltd

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETYA company limited by guarantee

Registered in England No. 4786973

Registered in the Isle of Man

No. 4369F

Registered Charity No. 1099295

Registered office: The Studio, Copyhold

Farm, Goring Heath, Reading RG8 7RT

Patron:

HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB

Ecclesiastical Patron:

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Richard Chartres,

KCVO, DD, FSA, Bishop of London

Lay Patrons:

The Rt Hon. Lord Hurd of Westwell,

CH, CBE, PC

Lord Sudeley, FSA

President:Lord Cormack, DL, FSA

Vice-Presidents:

The Revd Dr Roger Beckwith

The Rt Hon. Frank Field, MP

Professor Roger Homan

C. A. Anthony Kilmister, OBE

Board of Trustees:

Miss Prudence Dailey Chairman

The Revd Paul Thomas Deputy Chairman

Miss Hilary Rudge Company Secretary

John Wimpress Treasurer

The Revd Rob Desics Regional Trustee –

North East Region

Stephen Evans Regional Trustee – West and

Central Region

Peter Hardingham Regional Trustee –

Midlands Region

The Revd David Harris

The Revd Richard Hoyal

Nicholas Hurst Regional Trustee – Eastern Region

The Revd John Masding Regional Trustee –

South West Region

Paul Meitner Regional Trustee – South East

Region

Ashley Perraton-Williams

David Richardson

John Scrivener Regional Trustee – North

West Region

Prayer Book Churches and Clergy Co-ordinator:

John Service

Telephone: 07703 532695

E-mail: john.service@pbs.org.uk

Youth Officer:

The Revd Fredrik Arvidsson

The Prayer Book Society’s child

protection policy is available on its

website, www.pbs.org.uk

The Prayer Book Society, like the

Church of England, is a broad church

which embraces a wide breadth of

opinion and churchmanship. Views

expressed in the PBS Journal are those of

their individual authors, and do not

necessarily represent the opinion of the

Society or of the Editor. The inclusion

of any advertisement in the PBS Journal

does not imply that the Society

endorses the advertiser, its products or

its services.

PBS TRADING LTDOrders and enquiries for PBS Trading

should be sent to:

PBS Trading Ltd, The Studio,

Copyhold Farm, Goring Heath,

Reading RG8 7RT

Website: www.pbstrading.co.uk

Cover image: The Archbishop of Canterburyreceives a Book of Common Prayer from theSociety’s President, Lord CormackPhotography: Lambeth Palace

The deadline for contributions for thenext issue is: Friday, 9th May 2014 (preferably typed or electronically submitted)

Publication date: Friday, 20th June 2014

New PBS Prayer Calendar—Everything to Pray for 4

Remembering Raymond Chapman 6Let Your Mind be Remade 7Anticipating Easter & the Shed Blood 9The Churching of Women 11The Lion That Roared 12A Prayer Book Church Five Hundred Years On 14

Annual Conference 2013 16Children’s Work in Prayer Book Parishes 18

Correspondence 21News from the Branches 22Forthcoming Events 27Branch Contacts 30

CONTENTS

Submission of Photographs

When submitting photographs for the PBS Journal,

please note the following:

• Digital photographs should be taken using the

highest resolution possible. If the resolution is

too low, photographs may have to be printed

very small, or may not be useable at all.

• Photographs taken using conventional film are

also acceptable. Prints should be sent to the PBS

Office at Copyhold Farm, and we will arrange

for them to be scanned in high resolution.

The original prints will be returned to you.

• When taking photographs at events, ‘action

shots’ of the event in progress are preferable to

posed photographs of groups of people or

individuals standing still.

Filling vacancies in Prayer Book

parishes

There can be little doubt that the most effective way

of ensuring the continuation of worship from the

Book of Common Prayer in a parish is to make sure

that, when filling a vacancy for a new parson,

someone with strong personal sympathy to the

Prayer Book is appointed. To this end, and thanks to

the efforts of our Churches and Clergy Co-ordinator,

John Service, we now have a list of over 70 non-

retired clergy, sympathetic to the Book of Common

Prayer, who have asked to be kept informed of

vacancies in potentially suitable parishes. In

addition, we are able to provide information about

the legal rights of PCCs in relation to appointments.

If you are a member of the congregation at a church

which has a significant commitment to the Book of

Common Prayer for a large proportion of its

services, please do let John Service know as soon as

a clerical vacancy arises. Information from our

members about impending parish vacancies is

vitally important, alongside the details we receive

from a variety of other sources. All information

received will, of course, be handled with discretion.

John Service can be contacted by e-mail at

john.service@pbs.org.uk, or via the PBS office at

Copyhold Farm.

3

You can help a Prayer Book Church!There was a page about St Thomas à Becket Church,

Cliffe, Lewes, in the Lent 2013 Journal. St Thomas’s

worship on Sundays and weekdays is wholly Prayer

Book and the church is a Corporate Member of the

Prayer Book Society. The beautiful building now has an

urgent structural problem. About £20,000 is needed

to avoid a collapse of the nave. Meanwhile the church

is closed to visitors but services continue, somehow.

For more details visit their excellent website at

www.st-thomas-lewes.org.uk. Contributions to the

restoration can be made to the Treasurer, c/o 1 The

Moorings, South Street, Lewes BN7 2BW, Tel: 01273

475053, cheques payable to St Thomas à Becket

Church, or make a bank payment to sort code 20-49-

76, account 90261130. Donations are certainly a way

of helping Prayer Book worship.

Recently retired from full-time ministry, I

have been reflecting on my performance as

a clergyman since my ordination in 1979. It

has been a mortifying exercise, for virtually all

indicators of the Church of England’s influence

and activities have declined hugely since 1979—

though I hope not entirely because of my own

ministerial failings. Certainly the Church has much

less influence in society now. Hundreds of

churches, and far too many church colleges and

other institutions, have closed. Sunday

attendances, baptisms, confirmations, weddings

and funerals have fallen hugely, in some cases to

half the 1979 figures and less.

Particularly disturbing is the catastrophic dearth

of children in church today and the sharp drop in

ordinations to full-time paid ministry. This is

despite important initiatives over the years, like

new services, Alpha, and the Decade of

Evangelism. Without the important contribution

made by Lay Readers and ‘part-time’ clergy the

situation would be much worse. The picture is

mixed. Some churches are growing and

performing remarkably well. Far too many are

embarrassingly small and lack dynamism, or are

ageing into oblivion.

The situation is urgent. All sections of the

Church need to address these issues as a matter of

priority. The Prayer Book Society is no exception.

We are much better placed to do this than one

might think. The new services were well

intentioned, and we do ourselves no favours by

ignoring their good points. But they are no longer

novel. They can feel flat and dated, even when

presented with skill.

Some dismiss the BCP as archaic and irrelevant.

But it has great advantages. It is orthodox and

comprehensive, and it belongs equally to all

churchmanships. It isn’t incomprehensible, and it

doesn’t date. The extensive 400th anniversary

celebrations for the King James Bible in 2011

nicely primed the Church for our 2012

celebrations of the 1662 Prayer Book’s 350th

anniversary. The book is well above the parapet

again.

Young church people have no inherited animus

against the BCP, and miraculously a small but

growing number, ordinands among them, are

rediscovering how wonderful it is. These young

people appreciate the Prayer Book’s evocative and

memorable language. Weary of endless one-off

leaflets, they are taken by its provision in one

fascinating but compact book for most aspects of

the Christian life. They are learning to value its

historic place in the life of our nation, and its

centrality as the Anglican gold standard for

Christian worship, teaching and living.

Centrally, at Branch level and in our own

churches, all PBS members need to appreciate the

seriousness of the Church’s predicament. In

addition to what we can do in other ways to

address the situation, we need to realise that the

BCP is a valuable tool for renewal and mission. We

must be much more confident about the future of

the Prayer Book. ‘At least it will be there to see me

out’ just won’t do. Initiatives are required, at every

level, to commend the BCP’s virtues—to young

and old, to individuals and groups, not least to

new Christians, confirmands, ordinands and clergy

with little knowledge of the BCP.

PBS board members and staff are taking these

matters seriously, and important projects are afoot.

But the task is everyone’s. Little will happen,

though, if we don’t make PBS aims and PBS people

and initiatives a priority in our prayers. We shan’t

get blessings we won’t pray for, the Epistle of

James tells us. Hence the new calendar.

You may have already discovered our calendar

on the PBS website. A day at a time it covers a

breadth of PBS people and concerns. On Sundays

and holy days it ventures short reflections based on

related BCP material. Online prayer diaries are

increasingly popular. But many of us also like to

have prayer leaflets to hand where we pray.

We are thus sending out prayer calendar leaflets

in instalments with our four PBS mailings a year.

New PBS Prayer Calendar—Everything to Pray for

Richard Hoyal

4

Accompanying the current issue of the Journal

is the March-to-May leaflet. The online

calendar will be regularly updated in step

with the leaflets. We hope that both online

and leaflet versions will prove a useful aid to

regular prayer for the Society and its mission

for the Church. Certainly, engaged prayer—

and much more of it—is vital to underpin

our endeavours if we are to have any hope,

humanly speaking, of tackling the huge

decline in Church of England fortunes in our

lifetime.

The Revd Richard Hoyal is a Trustee of the Prayer

Book Society.

As calendar compiler, Richard will be glad to

receive readers’ comments and suggestions at

richardhoyal@btinternet.com or write to

him via the office at Copyhold Farm.

5

The Society is holding a special service of Evensong, sung entirely in Latin, in the splendid setting of Merton

College Chapel, Oxford on Tuesday, 13th May at 6.15 p.m. The service will be taken from the Liber Precum

Publicarum Ecclesiae Anglicanae, with psalms and responses sung to plainsong, Latin settings of the Magnificat and

Nunc Dimittis plus an anthem in Latin. The Lessons will be read from the Vulgate version.

The 1662 Prayer Book was first translated into Latin by Jean Durel in 1670. This was followed by a host

of revisions between 1713 and 1848, testifying to a widespread use of a Latin Prayer Book down to Victorian

times. In 1865 a Latin Prayer Book was issued by William Bright (well known as Regius Professor of

Ecclesiastical History and Canon of Christ Church, and as the writer of a number of hymns) and Peter Medd.

This Victorian version has many points of superiority over both the Elizabethan and Caroline translations, and

as such has had a wide vogue among modern scholars.

The service will be followed by a black-tie dinner hosted by the College Chaplain, the Revd Dr Simon

Jones. All members are welcome to attend the service. Tickets for the dinner (which are limited to 22) can

be obtained by completing and returning the application form below together with a cheque made payable

to The Prayer Book Society.

To: Tony Hilder, The Prayer Book Society, 28 St Luke’s Place, Cheltenham GL53 7HP

From:

Name: ………………………………………...……………..…………………

Telephone: …………………………………..

Address:

………………………...…………..…………………………………………………………………………

………...……………………………………………………………………………………………………

E-mail: ………………………………………..

Please send me dinner tickets for the following named people @ £50.00 per head (to include reception

drinks and a 3-course dinner with wines):

………………………………………………..……….…..

…….………..………..…………………..……………….

Number: ……… @ £50.00 = £ ……….….. + Donation: £ ……….…= Total: £ ………….

Second Annual

PETER TOON MEMORIAL LECTURE

‘The Divine Allurement: Cranmer's Comfortable Words’The Revd Canon Dr Ashley Null,

Internationally respected expert on the English Reformation, visiting

fellow in the Divinity Faculty at Cambridge, and author of

Thomas Cranmer's Doctrine of Repentance: Renewing

the Power to Love (Oxford, 2000)

Friday, 13th June 2014

Oak Hill College, London

Chapel service at 4.00 p.m., followed by refreshments,

and the lecture 6.00 p.m.-7.30 p.m.

While this event is independently run and not organised under the auspices

of the Prayer Book Society, the subject matter may be of particular interest

to our members and friends, who are assured of a very warm welcome.

Evensong and Dinner at Merton College, Oxford

The Revd Raymond Chapman, Emeritus

Professor of English Literature at London

University (with his Chair at the LSE), a

Vice-President of the Prayer Book Society and a

prolific writer, died on 5th November 2013, aged

89.

Only weeks before he died Raymond explained

to his devoted wife, Patricia, that he had a perfectly

good home here [on earth] and a perfectly good

home to go to and he didn’t want anything in

between. God in His great love and mercy granted

him that and Raymond died peacefully in his own

bed. He was still writing whenever he could and

perhaps he just wore out. His funeral service in

Barnes, south of the River Thames, on 18th

November was attended by a very large number of

admirers.

Raymond Chapman, after Oxford and King’s

College London, spent his long academic life at the

LSE. With a family background of Welsh non-

conformity Raymond was confirmed as an

Anglican at 17 years of age. He was ordained a

priest in 1975 and as non-stipendiary minister

served first at St Mary le Strand with St Clement

Danes (close to the LSE) and thereafter at St Mary’s,

Barnes. He could best be described as a Prayer

Book Catholic and wrote with great authority on

the literature of the Oxford

Movement. His books on

Evelyn Underhill, Lancelot

Andrewes and Richard Hooker

were major works. But it was

as an active supporter and

officer of the Prayer Book

Society that readers will best

remember him. Among the

many books that PBS members

will recall were A Godly and

Decent Order, A Book for All Seasons,

Draw Near with Faith and there

were countless others.

In 1996 Raymond

succeeded another Professor,

the Revd J. Roy Porter, as a

Vice-Chairman of the Prayer

Book Society and later still he

became a hugely valued Deputy Chairman. Whilst

his academic insights were ever-present he wore

these lightly and chose a supportive role in most

things. In due course he relinquished day-to-day

posts in the PBS and became a Vice-President.

Professor Chapman served as a trustee of the

PBS’s Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust from its

inception in 2000 right up to his death. Neil

Inkley [who runs the Matthias Fund] writes: ‘The

last administrative papers relating to the Trust came

back from him, with his customary efficiency, less

than a fortnight before he died. True to himself, his

assessments of the Matthias applications were

always generous yet tinged with a wise

recognition of reality.’

I remember well my surprise at coming across

him and Patricia, his delightful Irish wife, in the

Irish Embassy in London to which I had been

invited in connection with a book on the first

Transatlantic flight (by Alcock and Brown in

1919). I should not have been surprised, for

Raymond was Chairman and later Vice-President

of the Irish Literary Society. He is survived by

Patricia, who is an Anglican too, having been a

‘Plymouth rock’ in her youth.

Anthony Kilmister, OBE is a founder member and Vice-

President of the Prayer Book Society.

Remembering Raymond Chapman

Anthony Kilmister

6

To mark the anniversary of the 1549 book the Revd Professor Raymond

Chapman (right) leads the Archbishop’s procession at York Minster with the

Ven George Austin behind him in similarly coloured cope

7

Let Your Mind be RemadeA sermon preached at the Annual Conference

Andrew Montgomerie

The Book of Common Prayer has been

formative in my spiritual life. And I mean

this in a very specific sense. I would like to

draw your attention to the words of the blessed

Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians, in

which he addresses them thus: ‘My little children,

of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be

formed in you’ (Galatians 4:19). St Paul is

addressing a Church with whom, I think it fair to

say, he was frustrated. His Epistle to the Galatians is

particularly concerned with the teachings of those

who sought to require from Gentile converts to

the faith certain observances, such as

circumcision, which the Gospel had fulfilled and

thus removed. His loving concern for the Galatian

Christians is shown in his use of the words ‘My little

children’, but also in that the word ‘travail’ implies

that he feels a burden of responsibility in teaching

them the truth of the meaning of the Gospel of

Christ. But it is the next phrase which might arrest

your attention—‘until Christ be formed in you’.

We are very familiar with the phrase ‘in Christ’,

which St Paul uses to describe those who are

literally incorporated into Christ—made members

of the body, the Church, through baptism. This

idea of being partakers or members of Christ

permeates St Paul’s letters. But much less

prominent is this other image which he uses

here—of Christ in us. But it is there, for example,

in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians: ‘Know ye

not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in

you …?’ (2 Corinthians 13:5). And also in chapter

eight of his Epistle to the Romans: ‘And if Christ be

in you, the body is dead, because of sin; but the

Spirit is life because of righteousness.’

Now the word ‘formed’ here, in the Greek,

quite clearly means to ‘form the nature of’. In

other words, St Paul is speaking of the formation

of the nature of the divine Son of God in the

Christian. It is the same idea found in St Peter’s

Second Epistle where, in similarly striking

language, he speaks of Christ as the bearer of

‘exceeding great and precious promises: that by

these ye might be partakers of the divine nature

…’ (2 Peter 1:4).

May I put it like this? The calling of the Christian

is to receive the divine nature of Christ, by grace.

And that grace is imparted to us through the Word

of God and the Sacraments, faithfully received. This

is, so to speak, the substance and meaning of our

salvation. St Cyril of Alexandria put it like this: ‘We

are made partakers of the divine nature and are

said to be sons of God, not only because we are

exalted by grace to supernatural glory, but also

because we have God dwelling in us.’

So the new nature, the nature of Christ imparted

to us at our Baptism, is nurtured and grown

through the Word of God and the Sacraments. The

Christian, within the body of the Church, is

nurtured inwardly to grow this divine nature

within, to become transformed into the likeness of

Christ. Through worship within the mystical body

of Christ, the Christian becomes gradually ever

more detached from his former preoccupations

and ever more fixed upon the vision of the God

who is the source of the life within him. The third-

century Father, Origen, puts it like this: ‘The

intelligence which is purified and raises above all

material things to have a precise vision of God is

deified in its vision.’

Origen uses the word ‘nous’, meaning mind,

thought, reason. And this human faculty, he is

saying, may be led away from this passing world to

the vision of God through which the Christian is

deified or, in St Peter’s words, made a partaker of

the divine nature. This process of a deepening

vision of God by the nurture of our Christ-given

nature is, as I have said, enabled by the worship of

the Church in word and sacrament. Some English

17th-century divines refer to this process by the

word ‘edification’. And the value of the Prayer

Book as a means of ‘edification’ is part of the

justification that they made for it against the

Puritans who sought its abolition. It is echoed by

the words of a 19th-century moral theologian,

James Skinner, who told the English Church Union

in 1865: ‘Edifying the worship of God must be.

But it is edifying in the real sense; it is for the

edification or building up of souls, through their

subjugation to the obedience, and their adaptation

to the blessed harmonies of heaven.’

The Book of Common Prayer, in its Liturgy of

the Hours of Morning and Evening Prayer, and in

its Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Holy Communion

service, was conceived with the principle of

edification in mind, as Cranmer writes in ‘Of

Ceremonies’. The discipline of Prayer Book

worship is itself a gift of God for our edification,

in order that Christ may be formed in us and that

we thus attain the vision of God by which we

partake of the divine nature. For this purpose as I

have described it, the Prayer Book has been given

to us, in a memorable language which itself we

may take into ourselves so that it becomes for us a

real means of spiritual intimacy with God. It thus

has a unique capacity as a Book of Common Prayer,

to edify us, that is, to build up Christ in us,

nurturing our souls to grow into His likeness.

The idea of formation, of Christ being formed in

us, is, I believe, true to the conception of St Paul

and of his desire for the Churches. Through the

Prayer Book, we may be formed, or edified,

nurturing the life of Christ in us. The Prayer Book

thus calls us to holiness, us as individuals and us as

a nation, as we pray its offices as it bids us do. Thus

the Prayer Book is a means to formation and

edifying, not an end in itself, but a means, the

liturgical path by which we move towards the

deifying vision of the beauty of God, to Whom be

ascribed, as is most justly due, all might, majesty,

authority, dominion and power, now and to the

ages of ages. Amen.

The Revd Andrew Montgomerie is Rector of St Margaret’s

Church, Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire.

Ivy House St Denys Retreat Centre

A place of rest, refreshment and renewal16-20 June 2014

Residential Retreat with Prayer Book Worship:

C.S. LewisLed by Canon Arthur Middleton

£250 per person

To book please contact Ivy House:Telephone: 01985 214824 3 Church Street Warmisnter BA12 8PG

E-mail: stdenys@ivyhouse.org Web : www.ivyhouse.org

8

9

After the winter cold and storms have

passed, how quickly Lent and Easter come

around once more. Good Friday and Easter

Day give us additional time to meditate upon the

life, death, and resurrection of our Saviour, the

Lord Jesus Christ. The familiar words of the BCP

Easter Preface will be heard again: ‘We praise Thee

for the glorious Resurrection of thy Son Jesus

Christ our Lord: for he is the very Paschal Lamb,

which was offered for us, and hath taken away the

sin of the world …’.

Cecil Frances Alexander (c.1823-1895) was the

wife of William Alexander, Bishop of Derry. They

married in 1850. Later, William became

Archbishop of Armagh. Just before he died the

Archbishop remarked that he would be

remembered chiefly as the husband of the woman

who wrote ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’. The

comment is a significant indication of how widely

this singular hymn—often sung on Good Friday—

has influenced Christendom. It is further

indication of the prominence of the hymn that the

congregation sang it at the Archbishop’s funeral,

sixteen years after he had buried his own wife. The

great French composer, Charles Gounod,

considered Cecil Alexander’s hymn ‘near perfect,

with simplicity its greatest beauty’.

But one wonders what individuals—even

Christian people—make of the third verse of the

hymn. We might recall the words:

He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good,

That we might go at last to heaven

Saved by His precious blood.

It is the word ‘blood’ which seems to be a

stumbling block for so many today. Yet, this

singular theme, like a red silken thread, virtually

holds the complete 66 books of the Bible together!

The Apostle Paul, channel of divine revelation,

asserts that reconciliation without Christ’s blood is

impossible.

For those of us who love the old liturgy, it is

exciting to discover increasingly how much Holy

Scripture permeates throughout its pages. Truly, the

Book of Common Prayer is a foundational liturgy,

richly saturated in the Word of God. It feeds and

nourishes the spiritually hungry believer. It points

the worshipper in the direction of peace, joy, and

divine satisfaction, given to sinners in constant

need. We might recall the following, from Thomas

Cranmer’s brilliant, timeless and heart-warming

Liturgy:

‘Help thy servants: whom thou hast redeemed

with thy precious blood.’ ‘Spare thy people

whom thou hast redeemed with thy most

precious blood.’ ‘By thine agony and bloody

sweat, by thy cross … Good Lord redeem us.’

‘Who hast purchased to thyself an universal

church by the precious blood of thy dear Son.’

‘We [spiritually] eat the flesh of Christ and

drink his blood.’ ‘The innumerable benefits

which by his precious blood-shedding he hath

obtained for us.’ ‘So to eat the flesh of thy dear

Son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood … our

souls washed through his most precious blood.’

‘Through faith in his blood, we and all thy

whole church may obtain remission of our

sins.’ ‘Dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the

forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his

most precious side both water and blood.’ ‘The

strengthening and refreshing of our souls by

the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are

by the bread and wine.’ ‘O Saviour of the

world, who by thy Cross and precious blood hast

redeemed us: save us and help us, we humbly

beseech thee, O Lord.’ ‘The sheep of Christ,

which he bought with his death, and for

whom he shed his blood.’ ‘The Church of Christ

which he hath purchased with no less price

than the effusion of his own blood.’ ‘Likewise

the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the blood of

Christ.’

Anticipating Easter and the Shed Blood

Barry Shucksmith

10

To return to the Bible—the Word of the Living

God—it is through faith in Christ’s blood that we are

justified and saved (Romans 3:25; 5:9). We have

redemption through his blood (Ephesians 1:7), even

the forgiveness of our sins (Colossians 1:14).

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission

of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Only through the blood of

Jesus can we come and be accepted in his presence

(Hebrews 10:19). This blood is more precious than

silver or gold (1 Peter 1:2, 19), because it cleanses

us from all sin (1 John 1:7), and much of eternity

will be spent in singing about it (Revelation 1:5,

5:9). We, overcome by the blood of the Lamb

(Revelation 12:11), are dressed in white because

of the same blood (Revelation 7:14), while, sadly,

thousands trample underfoot the blood of their

redeemer by rejecting him (Hebrews 10:29).

In his important book Anglicanism and the Christian

Church, the Director of the Centre for the Study of

the Christian Church, the Revd Dr Paul Avis,

discusses extensively the doctrinal concept of The

Church and Salvation. He concludes: ‘Although we

look in vain in English Anglican theology for a

definitive account of the meaning of salvation,

several themes, impinging closely on the doctrines

of salvation and the Church, can be discerned in

the writings of our selected modern Anglican

theologians.’ The Director—a gifted and fluent

theologian himself—summarises these under six

headings which he expounds at considerable

length:

(i) The fundamental principle that undergirds

what they say about both salvation and the

Church is the principle that new life is given in

humanity in Jesus Christ.

(ii) This new life is located in a divinely

ordained society, the Church.

(iii) In the life of the Church the sacramental

principle is central.

(iv) The new life in Christ in the Church has

implications for the whole world, specifically

for the amelioration of social problems.

(v) The new life in Christ in the Church brings

with it the eschatological hope of the

resurrection of the body.

(vi) The doctrine of the resurrection of the

body entails a hope for the redemption of the

cosmos.

(vii) The Christian hope points to the ultimate

fulfilment of human beings in the vision of

God.

What seems to be absent from this

comprehensive overview of contemporary

Anglican thinking is the personal element. Is it really

possible to discuss the doctrine of the Church

without rooting it fundamentally in individual

experience? The Apostle Paul—a master in

ecclesiological theology, notably in his First

Corinthian, Ephesian and Galatian Epistles—rarely

avoids the personal thrust: ‘I am crucified with

Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ

liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the

flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who

loved me, and gave himself for me.’

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer—a remarkable

liturgist and theologian—admirably achieves the

same where it sensitively counts: ‘The blood of our

Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee,

preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life:

Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was

shed for thee, and be thankful.’ The corporate body

gathers around the Lord’s Table, yet the experience

is profoundly personal.

We may be tempted to think that handling and

rooting such heady theological truth is not

humanly possible in our own 21st-century post-

Christian world. If so, we might take another look

at the poetic writings of this remarkable woman—

Cecil Frances Alexander—specifically as she

handles the concept of substitutionary atonement:

We may not know, we cannot tell

What pains He had to bear;

But we believe it was for us

He hung and suffered there.

There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin;

He only could unlock the gate

Of heaven, and let us in.

Cecil knew that children loved poetry and could

memorise the great truths of the Bible quickly.

Many of her poems were written to help make the

Scripture more understandable to them. In fact,

almost all of her 400 hymns and poems were for

children. The language is simple and clear, but not

childish or sentimental.

The Rt Revd Dr Barry Shucksmith (Royal Navy) was formerly

a Bishop in the Free Church of England.

11

O Almighty God, we give thee humble thanks

for that thou hast vouchsafed to deliver this

woman thy servant from the great pain and

peril of child-birth: Grant, we beseech thee,

most merciful Father, that she, through thy

help, may both faithfully live and walk

according to thy will, in this life present; and

also may be partaker of everlasting glory in the

life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

Childbirth is a dangerous business. In order for

a new human being to emerge, mother and baby

hover between life and death. Those of us with

access to modern medicine may easily forget this,

but Mary and Joseph must surely have been aware

of it, as they sheltered in the stable. She risked her

life in order to bring Jesus into the world.

In her culture, as in many others, a rite of

passage was provided to give thanks for her

survival and to ease her back from contact with the

ultimate realities, symbolised by blood, into her

normal routines. She went to the Temple to offer a

pair of turtledoves.

The Book of Common Prayer provides the

Thanksgiving of Women after Child-Birth,

commonly called The Churching of Women, for

the same purpose; and above is the prayer from the

end of that service.

There is some historical evidence that women

appreciated the rite of churching. In the 16th

century, after childbirth the mother enjoyed a

privileged month of confinement, in order to

recover physically and emotionally. Churching was

the opportunity for a last celebration with her

women friends—her gossips—before returning to

her usual duties.

But the ceremony could also be interpreted in

more damaging ways. I have talked to women

from the Black Country who were churched in the

1950s, and they report being left scarred by the

experience. They were made to feel that childbirth

was shameful and sinful.

Before their churching, they were not allowed

to enter shops, or even friends’ homes, in case they

brought bad luck. And if the baby was baptised

during that time, they were forbidden to attend. In

their minds, the point of the rite was penitence:

the Church’s insisting that new mothers needed

forgiveness. Yet the words of the BCP say nothing

of the sort. They give thanks that the woman has

come through a time of great peril safely.

In Common Worship, churching has been

replaced by Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child.

There is a crucial difference between the two

services. Churching focused on the woman’s

experience. It recognised ‘the great danger of

childbirth’. Psalm 116 was recited, with its

references to ‘the snares of death’ and ‘the pains of

hell’.

In the new service, by contrast, the whole

family welcomes the new addition. The focus is on

the baby. Of course it is important to give thanks

for the gift of a child, and support both parents

with prayer; but something has been lost. After the

birth of my children, I chose to have a BCP

churching ceremony, once in a local convent and

once at the university where I was working as a

chaplain.

Had the births happened in another place or

time, either I or the babies would probably have

died. Thanks to labour-inducing drugs, blood-

pressure tablets, and anti-D injections, we were

fine. I wanted to recognise that childbirth had

been a momentous experience for me, and give

thanks with friends. I was moved by the fact that

this final prayer turns from the peril of childbirth

to the woman’s continuing life of faith.

Caring for her new child will no doubt take

much of the woman’s time and energy, but the

prayer does not restrict her vocation to

motherhood. It leaves open the path along which

God will call her. Her physical and spiritual lives

are to continue intertwined. Many women will

face the dangers of childbirth this week; let us pray

for safe deliveries.

Dr Ann Conway-Jones is a freelance writer, and an Honorary

Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

This article first appeared in the Church Times and

is reproduced here with permission (for a free

sample copy, e-mail subs@churchtimes.co.uk).

The Churching of WomenAnn Conway-Jones

12

Do you remember where you were on

22nd November 1963, the day when

President John F. Kennedy was

assassinated? I remember hearing the news on my

car radio (as Sheila and I drove up Tottenham

Court Road) that he had been shot—and I heard

that Kennedy was dead as we passed Hampstead’s

‘Jack Straw’s Castle’.

Fifty years later relatively few of us realise that

on that same day one of the most influential

Christian writers of the 20th century also died. The

death of C. S. Lewis was so overshadowed by the

tragic news from Dallas that it received little notice

in the media. Aldous Huxley died on 22nd

November 1963 as well. In an almost similar way

the death of Rudyard Kipling in 1936 was

swamped in newspaper columns by the demise of

King George V.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), known to

family and friends as ‘Jack’, wrote more than 50

books for all ages, many of them great classics.

Several of them attract additional followers with

each passing year. Translated into more than thirty

languages and adapted to print, video and digital

media, the works of C. S. Lewis have become

accessible to audiences in every corner of the

globe.

In 1950 Lewis gave us The Lion, the Witch and the

Wardrobe and indeed the Chronicles of Narnia series.

They later captivated a new generation thanks to

reprints and screen adaptations.

The brief marriage of Lewis with Joy Davidman

(d. 1960) was, in 1993-94, the subject of a

successful West End play and a memorable film

starring Sir Anthony Hopkins called Shadowlands.

Many must have wept, as I did, as this poignant

story reached its climax.

In Mere Christianity Lewis wrote: ‘The Eternal

Being, who knows everything and who created the

whole universe, became not only a man but

(before that) a baby, and before that a fetus in a

woman’s body.’

I was much taken by what Lewis wrote in Letters

to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer where he says that we

have good reason for our conservatism. The new

forms can have only an entertainment value and

we don’t go to church to be entertained. We go to

use the service—to enact it. Lewis writes:

‘Every service is a structure of acts and words

through which we receive a sacrament, or

repent, or supplicate, or adore. And it enables

us to do these things best—if you like, it

‘works’ best—when, through long familiarity,

we don’t have to think about it. As long as you

notice, and have to count the steps, you are not

yet dancing but only learning to dance. A good

shoe is a shoe you don’t notice. Good reading

becomes possible when you need not

consciously think about eyes, or light, or print,

or spelling. The perfect church service would

be the one we were almost unaware of; our

attention would have been on God.’

Later Lewis refers to the ‘Liturgical Fidget’ and

gives advice to some would-be liturgists when he

says: ‘Take care. It is so easy to break eggs without

making omelettes.’

Anyone who has read God in the Dock will know

how incisively Lewis foresaw the troubles that the

Church of England faces today. The author lived in

the Headington area of Oxford where the then

The Lion That RoaredC. S. Lewis: Fifty Years On

Anthony Kilmister

13

traditionalist vicar of Holy Trinity (the Revd Canon

Ronald E. Head) was a staunch BCP supporter and

a fiery member of the General Synod. When Lewis

died Fr Head said Masses for Lewis in his church

and on the Tuesday thereafter conducted the

funeral. (Incidentally there was a board in the

church on which members of the congregation

could post the names of those for whom prayers

were sought. Fr Head had added an

encouragement to all to pray that the General

Synod be saved from indulging in irretrievable

error!)

Fifty years after Lewis’s death a plaque was

unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

The choir sang a specially commissioned setting of

one of Lewis’s poems. On the plaque is an oft-

quoted line by C. S. Lewis: ‘I believe in Christianity

as I believe that the sun has risen—not only

because I see it, but because by it, I see everything

else.’

Anthony Kilmister, OBE is a founder member and

Vice-President of the Prayer Book Society.

Special service of Choral Matins

at the Guards Chapel, Wellington

Barracks, London

By special invitation of the Guards Chapel

Chaplain, the Revd Kevin Bell CF, Assistant

Chaplain-General, members of the Prayer Book

Society are invited to join the regular

congregation for

Choral Matins at 11.00 a.m.

on Sunday, 28th September 2014

with a band from the Household Division, readings from the

King James Bible, the BCP lectionary, and a sermon on

Forces Chaplains in the Great Warfollowed by said Holy Communion

and afterwards a reception in the adjoining

Guards Museum

All are very warmly welcome at this event. Please put the

date in your diary NOW, since we want to ensure the best

possible attendance!

14

A Prayer Book Church FiveHundred Years On

Anne Stevenson

St James Ashworth and two neighbouring

dwellings crown a hilltop three miles from

Rochdale and Bury, and one mile from

Heywood. St James is popularly known as

Ashworth Chapel, and the Egerton Arms, a former

brewery and pub, now a private house, is known

as ‘t’chapel house’. The parish consists of 1000

acres of farmland bounded by two steeply sided

brooks, the Cheesden and the Naden. Through the

middle of the parish, Ashworth Road climbs from

400ft at Simpson Clough to 1000ft at Ashworth

Reservoir.

The church is known to have been in existence

since 1514, having been built during the reign of

Henry VIII by the Holt family as a chapel of ease in

the parish of Middleton; hence the persistence of

the name ‘Ashworth Chapel’. Thomas Holt, who

built the chapel for the use of his tenants,

officiated there as priest. During the Civil War,

1642-1646, the Holts were Royalists and the estate

was sequestered in 1643 and only recovered in

1646 on payment of £551. But it was then

mortgaged to Sir Ralph Asheton and later sold to

Samuel Hallowes for £3960 in 1700.

In 1768, the estate was sold to Samuel Egerton

of Tatton and remained in his family until 1942.

Until the industrial revolution farming was the

main occupation of the tenants—sheep, cows, pigs

and poultry, alongside the cultivation of oats

which were ground at the estate mill. Wool was

spun and woven into cloth sold at Rochdale

market.

The coming of the textile industry in the 1800s

changed the valley dramatically. The population

rose to 2000 people with over fourteen mills

operated by water power and later some by steam

power. In the mid-19th century there was even a

disastrous fire in a coal mine in the valley, hard to

imagine now, for although the remains of the

fulling mills, weaving and spinning mills, a bleach

works, and a paper mill can still be discerned, the

cottages and houses attached to each mill have

completely disappeared.

Ashworth thus became the focal point for a

large population, and the church, rebuilt in 1789,

was enlarged to its present shape in 1837.

Ashworth became a parish in its own right in

1867. The increase in population encouraged

David Rathbone, vicar from 1832 to 1871, to open

a school for the children in a room over the dairy

at Hall Farm. He and his wife both taught there for

an annual fee of £8, which was donated by

Wilbraham Egerton.

David Rathbone was an influential figure

because by 1838 he had persuaded Lord Egerton

to build the small schoolhouse with its distinctive

leaded windows on School Lane. During the 18th

and early 19th centuries it was quite common for

upwards of 300 people to be served teas in the

schoolhouse on festive occasions. By the end of the

19th century, however, these small textile mills in

country districts were closing down and industry

became concentrated in the towns. Not only did

the population in Ashworth dwindle, but we

became surrounded by the new churches being

enthusiastically built during Queen Victoria’s

reign, St Paul’s, St Michael’s and St Clement’s.

And so our parish has gone full circle, back to

the Grade II listed cluster of cottages round

Ashworth Hall and twenty farms scattered over a

large acreage. The schoolhouse, in use as a day

school until the beginning of the 20th century, is

now used as the parish hall and Sunday School.

In 1949 it was found necessary to unite the

benefice with St Paul’s Norden. It is possible that

the expectation was that this small parish would

not survive separately for long. St James has not,

however, stood still, while maintaining its

independent identity and adherence to the Book of

Common Prayer. Electricity arrived in the fold in

1953 and was installed in the church in 1960

when the gallery was removed and the building

re-roofed. Under the strong leadership of the Revd

Noel Proctor, further improvements included a

Garden of Remembrance in the churchyard,

refurbishment of our Benson organ, toilets

installed in the church and the hall, and kitchen

units fitted at the back of the church so that we can

serve refreshments during musical events and

special services. Improvements have continued

15

over the last ten years, particularly to the church

hall. All this has been achieved by the hard work of

the congregation and tremendous support from

the farming community. A church keeps going

because of the commitment of the people. It is

more than buildings and surroundings.

A small congregation, who do not all live within

the bounds of the parish, keep worship alive for 52

weeks of the year. Our members belong to St James

for a variety of reasons, historical, family,

bereavement, or chance. Our special services,

Easter, Harvest and Christmas, are packed by our

wider regular worshippers! As a rural parish, we also

try to mark Rogation days.

We are very aware that many people have but

tenuous links with Christianity, that many do not

give God a thought from one special service to the

next. Nevertheless if the church were not there

when needed we would have failed in our mission.

‘Go ye out into all the world’, Jesus told us. All the

world includes here in our own parishes.

It may not be obvious that baking a potato pie

for thirty, or struggling to set up fifty tables and a

loudspeaker system is ‘ministry’; these events,

however, require teamwork in their execution and

serve three purposes: fun, fellowship and

fundraising.

The purpose of ministry is to strengthen all

Christians in their witness in, and to, the secular

world, and we will continue to try to maintain this

ministry, to make the church hall a focus for the

whole community, and the church a hill-top

beacon to all who pass by. We are fostering our

links with St Paul’s through occasional joint

services, the craft club, walking groups and

supporting each other’s social events. And we look

forward to continued co-operation with the ten

other churches in Churches Together in north-west

Rochdale, the local ecumenical group. In these

uncertain times, with a looming shortage of

ordained clergy, we hope our mainly BCP services

at 3 p.m. offer an alternative to people of the area.

Anne Stevenson is a member of the congregation at St JamesAshworth.

The Prayer Book Society’s Annual Conference

took place in September, and saw us return

to the Royal Agricultural University

(formerly the Royal Agricultural College) in

Cirencester, which had proved to be a popular

venue in past years. Responding to requests for our

conferences to have a more unified theme, the

programme focused on ‘the Occasional Offices of

the Book of Common Prayer’.

The Royal Agricultural University has an

attractive chapel and, as usual, worship was at the

heart of the proceedings, with Morning and

Evening Prayer (either said or sung) each day, and

a said Communion service at 8.00 a.m. on Sunday.

We have considered whether we ought instead to

have Holy Communion sung to Merbecke as the

main Sunday morning service at the Conference;

but many members have commented that they

especially appreciate the opportunity to attend

sung Matins on the Sunday morning, since they

would otherwise never have the opportunity to do

so. In addition, an early Communion service is

more suited to the requirements of those who

wish to receive Communion fasting, and so we

have decided for the time being to retain the

existing pattern. Needless to say, all services were

taken from the 1662 Prayer Book, with the

exception of Compline (1928) which has proved

a popular late-evening addition to the programme.

Following Evening Prayer on the Friday, the

Conference was opened by the Revd Richard

Thompson, who is priest-in-charge of a group of

seven country parishes based at Badminton. He

spoke about his experience of using the 1662 and

1928 Prayer Book marriage services (with an

evident enthusiasm for the former).

The first speaker on the Saturday morning was

the Revd Neil Patterson, Rector of the Ariconium

Benefice in the Diocese of Hereford, on funeral

services. He is the author of the Society’s popular

funeral leaflet, which accompanied his talk, and

copies of which can be downloaded from the

Society’s website or obtained from the office at

Copyhold Farm. He was followed after coffee by

Annual Conference 2013Prudence Dailey

Table fellowship at the conference

16

the Revd Jonathan Beswick, Vicar

of St Barnabas Church in Oxford,

speaking on Baptism and

Confirmation.

Saturday afternoon was taken up

with the proceedings of the Annual

General Meeting, after which

members were in need of spiritual

refreshment. This was provided by

Sung Evensong, at which the

preacher was the Revd Andrew

Montgomerie, Rector of St

Margaret’s Church, Iver Heath in

Buckinghamshire. After dinner,

Archdeacon Emeritus Norman

Russell entertained conference-

goers with a series of witty

anecdotes.

Concluding the Conference on

the Sunday morning, the Revd

Preb. Dr Peter Elvy gave a lively

audio-visual presentation about his

experience of holding family

services in the Prayer Book

tradition when he was Vicar of

Chelsea Old Church.

The text of all the Conference

papers appears in the current issue

of Faith and Worship, with the

exception of Peter Elvy’s talk on

family services, which appears on

pages 19 and 20 of this magazine.

2013 was the second year of the Conference

Bursary scheme. As a result of this, several

ordinands and other young people were present at

the Conference who would not otherwise have

been able to attend: they said they had enjoyed the

Conference, and expressed intentions of coming

again. It was generally agreed that their presence

enhanced the Conference significantly, both in

their contribution to the question-and-answer

sessions following the talks and in informal

conversation, and we hope to attract increasing

numbers of bursary applicants in future years.

Annual Conference 2014 (and future conferences)

This year’s Conference will again be returning to

Cirencester, from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st

September. The theme will be ‘What does the

Prayer Book say about…?’, covering a number of

key theological issues. We will again be running

the bursary programme, open to clergy, ordinands

and anyone under the age of thirty to attend the

full residential Conference at a greatly subsidised

rate.

It is anticipated that the 2015 Conference will

be held at Girton College, Cambridge.

It has been suggested that we might consider

holding future conferences from Thursday to

Saturday rather than from Friday to Sunday, given

that we are especially keen to attract clergy in

active ministry, and that Sundays (and to some

extent Saturdays) are particularly difficult for

them. We are currently exploring this, and no

decision has been made; but if anyone has strong

views on the matter we should be pleased to hear

them. Meanwhile, members are encouraged not to

be put off from attending the Conference if they

cannot be present for the whole programme, since

many people come to the Conference for only part

of the time.

Morning Prayer at the Conference

17

18

Ibegin with a health warning. The opinions

expressed in this article are mine entirely and

were formed by the experiences of eight years

ago and more. Things have to move on!

Summary: Christianity is best communicated in

the home by one or two parents. ‘Sunday School’

is not an appropriate model for every parish and

can never be an adequate replacement for Christian

parents. The parish needs to equip parents to be

confident teachers of their own children. Like

charity, Christian nurture begins at home.

The Parish in 2000 AD: ‘Geographically, Chelsea

Old Church is one of London’s smallest parishes

and covers the area between the Albert and

Battersea Bridges and the King’s Road. It is not

High nor Low nor Charismatic. The worship is

mostly traditional and centred on the Prayer Book.

There is a growing musical tradition led by a

professional quartet. There are five regular Sunday

Services and the 10 a.m. Children’s Service is

experiencing considerable growth. Despite the

rather grand address, the Children’s Service attracts

families from a range of social groupings

including borough housing to the west and a very

wide area south of the Thames. The Children’s

Service is often full, which can mean 250 parents

and children. A specialist (adult) Children’s

Warden has recently been appointed by the PCC.’

Our wonderful Children’s Warden Susan Gaskell

died at the end of August and I dedicate this talk to

her. With your permission I will show a DVD in

which Susan once spoke about our children’s

work.

Basic features: The Children’s Service never lasts

more than thirty minutes. It is usually very noisy

indeed. The first ten minutes are formal and

familiar—a mini-Matins. The reading, however, is

from the Lion Children’s Bible. Parents and

children follow the story from one of the 100 pew

Bibles. Instead of a talk, the story is then acted out

with a ‘commentary’ from the vicar. There is a

great emphasis on dressing up and unrehearsed

audience participation. The service has its own

‘Wardrobe Mistress’ and a lively organist. He is a

former cinema organist and he plays a Yamaha

Clavinova rather than the main Chelsea Old

Church organ.

Philosophy: The Chelsea Children’s Service is

targeted at young children (of 5-8) but babies and

older children are more than welcome. The first

priority is for children to enjoy themselves. (One

American mother complained that ‘Billy keeps

bugging me to go to church’.) The second priority

is to familiarise children with the major stories

and themes of the Old and New Testaments—to

repair the biblical ozone layer; to correct

widespread biblical illiteracy. There is no attempt

to moralise or to draw out spiritual implications.

A-story-is-a-story-is-a-story-is-a-story. Children

leave the church on Sunday mornings having

enjoyed the story of Noah and the Rainbow,

Samson and Delilah, David and Goliath, Jesus

teaching the disciples to fish for men and so forth.

Sometimes they bring their pets and plants. Once a

year we have two donkeys. We resist the temptation

to aim at several targets. The service is for 5-8 year-

old children who do not work well with abstracts

or concepts. They react best to good role models in

good stories. Above all they need predictability

(the Prayer Book virtue.)

In our short service the children:

i) Follow the story in the simplified and

illustrated pew Bible

ii) Hear some straightforward word-echoes (e.g.

to the Good Shepherd) in the hymns and

songs

iii) Go over the story again in the play, which is

completely unrehearsed and relies on

questions and prizes and volunteers (‘Who

wants to be Jesus?’)

Children’s Work in Prayer BookParishes

Peter Elvy

Conclusions:

1. A traditional Sunday School approach simply

does not work in every church.

2. The fundamental unit in Christian nurture is

not the parish but the family.

3. ‘Going to Church’ is not enough. For

Christians, faith and practice should begin in

the home, just as they do for Jews and

Moslems.

4. The Christian faith is best communicated by

the parent.

5. The teaching work of clergy or Sunday School

teachers or schoolteachers is always

supplementary to this primary formative

influence.

6. Of course the Christian church has a teaching

ministry but only when parental Christian

influence is missing should the church act in

loco parentis.

The Revd Preb. Dr Peter Elvy is the former Vicar of Chelsea

Old Church and delivered this message to ‘take home’ for the

PBS Conference.

19

St Matthew’s Church, Walsall celebrated its

800th anniversary in 2013 and it is very

likely that Christian worship was taking place

on the site long before then. Situated in a high,

prominent position above a town famous for its

leather industry, it has views right across the Black

Country. The town still makes handbags for The

Queen and saddles for Princess Anne.

Sunday at St Matthew’s offers a range of

services: a morning family service, an evening

youth service and an Asian church. Communion at

8.30 a.m. is, however, strictly Prayer Book. With

Prayer Books frankly ‘tatty’, it was decided to make

use of the PBS scheme and apply for new ones. The

arrival of 50 sparkling new Books of Common

Prayer was greeted with enthusiasm. On

Wednesdays there is a 10 a.m. Common Worship

Communion service. I like to think that it was

these new Prayer Books that inspired our curate,

the Revd Liz Chamberlain, to suggest that in

Advent the BCP would be used for this service. If

successful it may also be used in Lent.

Liz was made more aware of the Prayer Book by

being presented with one, under the PBS scheme,

whilst a student at St John’s College, Nottingham.

I think this is an encouraging example of PBS

campaigning. For churches like St Matthew’s, the

main part of whose worship is in modern form, I

think that around this it is important to retain

Book of Common Prayer services. I am sure that

the congregations of modern services realise that

the loss of the Prayer Book would be like the loss

of Shakespeare. Although they may never use it I

feel they appreciate its significance.

Keith Watkins worships at St Matthew’s, Walsall

Advocating the Prayer Book: New Prayer Books at Saint Matthew’s, Walsall

Keith Watkins

New PBS WebsiteFebruary 2014 sees the launch of the Society’s new

website. After putting out to tender the creation of

our new website, we chose Adept Digital as the

development company. Adept are experienced

website developers and have done a lot of work for

charities and we were particularly impressed with

some of their previous websites, for charities like

Allergy UK and Papworth Hospital Charity. This investment

in the digital appearance of the Society will not only

improve the appearance of the Society, but also give

greater functionality and access to all website users.

The new website has a lot of information contained

within it, and I invite you to explore it and try out

the new and improved features. Search for events

both nationally and by Branch, discover the churches

in your area that offer BCP services, visit the newly

integrated shop where we have a wide range of

books and related items.

The Church Service Database relies on you, the

members. Over the coming months, each Branch

will be updating its list of churches and services, but

if you know of a church that is not on the list, do

submit an entry to the database using the online

form. For an idea of how the finished product looks,

you can look at the London & Southwark or Lincoln

Branch, which have been updated already.

I am actively seeking volunteers to help with the

content on the new website. If you have any

questions about the website, or to volunteer to help

with the website, do contact me either by telephone

on 07961 066422, or email ashley.perraton-

williams@pbs.org.uk

20

CorrespondenceDear Sir

I was recently looking for Christmas cards on the

Society’s website when the PBS CD ‘Matins’ caught

my eye. I duly ordered it, and a couple of booklets,

via the website. However, I soon learnt from PBS

Trading that they had had a ‘glitch’ with their

computer and that the order had not gone

through. The ladies in the office were very

apologetic and polite, and soon rectified the matter

by contacting me immediately.

The reason for writing this letter is to say that

because the Society’s officials were so polite, I

decided there and then to renew my PBS

membership! Not only is it a pleasure dealing with

such polite people, but this instance of renewing

my membership has enriched my spiritual life.

Well done to all those who work so diligently in

the Society’s office!

Yours sincerely

Adrian Reading

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�e Trust relies solely upon donations and legacies to build capital from which bursaries can be provided.

Please give if you can to:

�e Administrator, Traditional Choir Trust�e Royal Chantry, Cathedral Cloisters

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Patron�e Very Reverend Michael Tavinor

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21

22

Bath and Wells

Fifteen contestants took part in the

Bath and Wells Branch heats of the

Cranmer Awards, held on 27th

November at Bruton School for

Girls. Entrants had to read a

passage of their own choosing,

lasting between three and five

minutes, from the Book of

Common Prayer. The competition

was divided into junior and senior

sections; the first was for those

aged 14 years or under on 1st

February 2014 and the second was

for those who had reached 15

years or over by that date. The

junior winner was India Davies

and the senior was Tierney

Chappell, both pupils at Bruton

School for Girls. Runners-up in the

junior and senior sections were,

respectively, Holly Hanson and

Naivasha Pratt-Jarvis. Will Stanton,

of Sexey’s School, was highly

commended.

The heats were judged by the

Revd Canon Bede Cooper, former

Rector of Wilton, who told the

contestants not to be afraid of

enunciating the ends of sentences;

there was a tendency to get it over

and done with and to tail away.

Interestingly, he likened words to

musical notation where the notes

on a musical score are brought

alive by the interpretive skills of

singers or instrumentalists. Careful

and expressive rendering of the

Collects, Psalms and passages of

Scripture similarly interpreted and

enlivened the timeless pages of the

Book of Common Prayer. He said

he had been very impressed with

the overall standard and thanked

those who had taken part. The

entrants were all presented with a

copy of the Book of Common

Prayer. Tierney Chappell and India

Davies will now go on to compete

in the finals of the competition.

Blackburn

Every year, the Blackburn Branch

has a ‘join’, when its members join

the congregation of one of the

parishes in the Diocese for Choral

Evensong. On 29th September an

encouragingly large number of

members came to Broughton—

immediately north of Preston—for

this year’s ‘join’. After a warm

welcome, tea, jam and cream

scones and shortbread, members

marvelled at the Evensong sung by

a choir of over thirty boys and

almost twenty men, as it is sung

there EVERY Sunday. There were

many comments afterwards that

this is how things used to be up

and down the land. Our

President—a retired judge—bore

up well under the sermon, which

dwelt on Jesus’ view of lawyers.

Bristol

The Bristol Branch of the Prayer

Book Society has been sorely

smitten by the deaths of both its

Treasurer and its Secretary within

the last year. Our former Treasurer,

Bert Day, had been very active and

efficient up to April 2012, but

became ill and died in July of that

year. As well as being an exemplary

Branch Treasurer Bert was a

devoted PCC Treasurer at Christ

Church with St Ewen, Bristol,

where he was also the sacristan

and head server. He and his wife

Margaret were rarely absent from

the morning or evening services at

Christ Church. He had been for

many years a valued and reliable

member of the Prayer Book

Society, supporting all the activities

of the Branch.

Our former Secretary, David

Selwyn, a long-serving master and

former Head of English at Bristol

Grammar School, died in April

2013, after a brave struggle against

cancer, aged only 61. His was a

most engaging personality, and as

well as his professional career he

had many contacts and interests.

News from the Branches

He was an able musician and a

fount of knowledge on English

literature, who had held high

office in both the Thomas Hardy

and Jane Austen Societies, though

at the same time he was a very

modest person. He loved the

Prayer Book services, and to hear

him read the lessons was a real

privilege. He held the official,

though entirely honorary, post of

Churchwarden of St Ewen, which

allowed him to carry a stave in

processions. He saw the amusing

side of this since St Ewen’s church

was demolished two centuries ago!

At David’s funeral in Christ

Church every seat in the large

building was taken and the service

was relayed into the nearby Grand

Hotel where there was an overflow

of about another 200 people,

including many of his past and

present pupils, many colleagues

from the Grammar School, and

friends from the other fields with

which he had been involved.

To say that these two stalwart,

worthy and faithful servants of the

Church and the Prayer Book

Society are being greatly missed is

of course a cliché, but it is

nonetheless absolutely true. Their

fellow members in the Bristol

Branch have been fortunate to

know them and to work with

them.

Coventry

There was a good congregation for

the Branch’s popular service in

preparation for Advent held at the

Guild Chapel in Stratford-on-Avon

on 30th November. The service

takes the form of Prayer Book

Collects from Advent to Christmas

interspersed with readings, and

music both for choir and

congregation. The Branch was

fortunate again to have the support

of the talented ensemble 1685,

known to members as the choir

behind the PBS recordings of

Matins and Evensong. The chapel’s

central position in Stratford on a

busy day attracts passers-by. The

Revd Dr David Pym officiated and

there were the usual refreshments.

Lichfield

Branch events in 2013 followed

our well-tried pattern. In July

members attended a service of

Matins at the ancient parish church

of All Saints at Sandon in

Staffordshire, which was followed

by an excellent and convivial lunch

at the nearby Dog and Doublet

Inn. We met again in early

November, when members joined

the congregation of Berwick Estate

church for a celebration of Holy

Communion. Following the

service, we held our Annual

General Meeting in the church and

then retired to the Albright Hussey

Hotel for another excellent lunch.

Our thanks go to Mr and Mrs

Angel-James for their warm

welcome and for allowing us to

use the church for the AGM, and to

Fr Brian Hayes, the celebrant, who

delivered a most pertinent and

interesting BCP-related sermon.

We are fortunate in the Lichfield

Branch in having as a member

Miss Merriel Halsall-Williams,

who works tirelessly on our behalf

to promote the diocesan heats of

the Cranmer Awards, held annually

23

Presentation to the ArchbishopIn October, the President of the Prayer Book Society, Lord Cormack,

accompanied by the Society’s Officers plus the Clergy and Churches

Co-ordinator, John Service, were privileged to visit Lambeth Palace to

present the new Archbishop of Canterbury with an inscribed Folio

Edition of the Book of Common Prayer. Following the presentation,

the Archbishop took the opportunity to ask about the work of the

Society, and then invited the Society’s representatives to join him for

Evening Prayer (according to the Book of Common Prayer) in his

private chapel. We were grateful for the opportunity to introduce

ourselves and the Society to the Archbishop, and we look forward to

a fruitful relationship with him.

Representatives of the PBS at Lambeth Palace with the Archbishop

(L-R): Hilary Rudge (Company Secretary); Lord Cormack (President);

John Wimpress (Treasurer); The Archbishop; John Service (Clergy and

Churches Co-ordinator); Prudence Dailey (Chairman).

Photography: Lambeth Palace

24

at Moreton Hall School, as an

integral part of the Shropshire

Festival. This year the competition

attracted over forty competitors,

who demonstrated an overall high

standard of reading; in particular

the finalists were all of a very high

standard, making the task of

selecting the winners a difficult

one. Stephanie Christenson and

Emma Tilley emerged as the junior

and senior winners respectively,

and our best wishes go to them for

the final of the competition in

London.

Moreton Hall School again held

its own ‘in-house’ Sarah Parkes

Memorial competition, when 38

girls from the school entered and

were judged on their reading of

extracts from the BCP. Again, and

to the school’s great credit, a high

standard was demonstrated.

Congratulations go to the winners,

Helen Norman (junior

competition) and Mary

Richardson (senior competition).

Norwich

We are pleased that, once again, a

successful Cranmer Award Heat for

our Diocese was held at St

Lawrence Church, Castle Rising,

on 15th November, kindly

arranged by its Patron and Branch

President, Lord Howard of Rising.

The winner of the senior section

was Anjeline Joegi and second was

Lota Ugochuckwu, both of

Norwich High School for Girls.

The winner in the junior section

was Isobel Keane and second was

Chelsea Crawford, again of

Norwich High School for Girls.

Among those we were delighted to

see represented was St Peter’s,

Sheringham. Unfortunately there

were fewer school entrants this

year, notwithstanding the efforts

made by our President and the

lengths he has gone to in

contacting very many schools in

the Diocese. We were delighted to

welcome Anne Robinson as a

judge again. She said how

important it was to be able to

speak confidently in public. At the

conclusion of the heats, Ms

Robinson presented the prizes

(which included, for the winners,

a presentation copy of the Book of

Common Prayer) and said how

much she had enjoyed the

occasion and the invitation to join

us.

Oxford

The Oxford Branch Cranmer

Award Heats were held on 7th

November in the Chapel of

Magdalen College School (MCS),

Oxford. As always, the judges were

presented with a selection of very

well prepared candidates, each

declaiming their chosen Prayer

Book passages. The judges’

decisions were not easy and, after

some debate, the successful

candidates were selected as:

Seniors1st Sophie Rutledge, Ss Peter &

Paul’s, Wingrave, Buckinghamshire

2nd Bertie McIntosh, MCS,

Oxford

Highly Commended William

Hardyman, MCS, Oxford

Juniors1st Eloise (Ellie) Jenkins, St

Andrew’s, Pangbourne, Berkshire

2nd Yiannis Goeldner-Thompson,

MCS, Oxford

Highly Commended Georgia

Allison, St Andrew’s, Pangbourne,

Berkshire

Cranmer competitors at Lichfield

Oxford Cranmer contestants with Dr Roger Beckwith

Sophie Rutledge and Yiannis

Goeldner-Thompson will rep-

resent the Oxford Branch at the

Society’s Cranmer Competition

national finals in London. Also,

Sophie Rutledge and Ellie Jenkins

will be invited to read lessons at

the Oxford Branch Advent Service

at St Mary’s, Castle Street, Reading

at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday, 7th

December.

Rochester

The Rochester heat for the

Cranmer Awards was held at the

Judd Grammar School on

Wednesday, 13th November at the

invitation of Mr Robert Masters,

the Headmaster. Committee

member Lela Weavers organised

refreshments, which gave

committee members a chance to

meet pupils and some parents

before the competition started. It

was obvious from conversations

then and afterwards that the

contestants were enjoying the

experience.

The judge, Mrs Shirley

Crawford, put the competitors

from the Judd and Bennett

Memorial schools at their ease,

telling them that she would be

sitting at the side so that they

could ignore her and just speak to

their audience. The Archdeacon of

Tonbridge, the Ven. Clive Mansell,

presented the prizes. Between

classes he spoke with great

enthusiasm to the young people

about the power and influence of

the Prayer Book, beginning by

holding up his own well-used

copy.

This year both junior and

senior sections were won by

pupils from Judd. Omkaar

Divekar, winning the junior

section for the third year running,

gave a sensitive reading of the

Gospel for the Sunday after

Christmas followed by the

Magnificat. A newcomer to the

competition, Joe Kleinschmidt,

chose the Collect and the dramatic

Epistle for the Conversion of St

Paul. The runners-up in the junior

section were Samuel Frith and

Matthew Carr. The senior runners-

up were Sophie Tang and Tony

Scott.

Mrs Crawford praised the

contestants for the clarity and

sincerity of their readings. As well

as cash prizes for the winners, the

top three in each group were

given a ‘Real Advent Calendar’ and

for all there were certificates, the

Prayer Book Society’s ‘For undoing

those things which we ought not

to have done’ novelty rubbers and

copies of A Walk Around Any Church.

Unfortunately one contestant

had to be eliminated for reading a

version of Psalm 37 not taken

from the Book of Common Prayer.

He had downloaded it from a

website called ‘The Book of

Common Prayer online’ but had

not noticed the tell-tale words

‘Episcopal Church’—it was the

American revised version. PBS

members will not be surprised to

hear that, on being shown the

Coverdale version, his reaction

was ‘That’s so much better!’

25

Rochester senior prizewinners

Rochester heat, juniors

26

Salisbury

The autumn meeting of the

Salisbury Diocesan Branch of the

Prayer Book Society was held at St

James’ Church, Alderholt. Opening

prayers were said by the Branch

Chaplain, the Revd Christopher

Brown. The Branch Chairman, Mr

Barrie Waterfall, introduced the

speaker, Canon Ian Woodward,

who had worked for many years in

the Defence and Aerospace

Industry until ordination in 1996.

He is now Rector of Bere Regis and

Affpuddle with Turnerspuddle.

Canon Woodward spoke about the

Diocesan Link with the Episcopal

Church of Sudan, now in its 40th

year, having served on the

Committee of the Sudan

Partnership Link since his

ordination. Giving every member a

map of the Sudan, he explained its

history, the ending of the Anglo-

Egyptian Condominium (which

lasted until 1956), the causes of

the Civil Wars and the problems

South Sudan faces now. These

include a desperate need for clean

water, health care, secondary

education and the training of more

priests. There is also corruption

and profiteering in high places,

which limit investment.

After a lively question time the

speaker was thanked by Mr Mike

Rowlandson, who had visited the

area in his childhood en route to

Southern Africa. Members then

adjourned to the church hall for

the famous Salisbury tea before

returning to the church for Harvest

Evensong conducted by the vicar,

the Revd Philip Martin. The

organist, Mr Stephen Rothwell,

conducted the choir in the singing

of a particularly lovely anthem.

Salisbury members also marked

Advent with a Carol Service in

‘perfect village setting’. The Revd

Mark Wood, Priest-in-Charge of

Wilton with Netherhampton and

Fugglestone, conducted the service

with the Branch Chairman. The

pretty village of Netherhampton,

which lies just two miles across the

water meadows from Salisbury

Cathedral, was the perfect setting

on a bright winter’s day for the

annual Advent Carol Service of the

Diocese of Salisbury Branch of the

PBS. Of all the churches in the

Salisbury City area, St Catherine’s,

Netherhampton, is perhaps the one

whose worship is most strongly

rooted in the Book of Common

Prayer. It is therefore particularly

appropriate that local members of

the Society gathered there to listen

to seasonal readings from Scripture

and sing Advent hymns old and

new.

Truro

On Sunday, 26th October twenty-

five members and friends were the

guests of Lord and Lady Lumley-

Savile at Trist House, Veryan, where

they were entertained to a

scrumptious cream tea followed by

a walk around the extensive

grounds. Veryan is famous for its

round houses (no corners for the

Devil to hide in) and Trist House

was built as the Rectory by Samuel

Trist in 1833 on a much earlier

site, where only the Elizabethan

terraces of the garden remain. At

6.00 p.m. everyone repaired to the

church for Harvest Festival

Evensong. The service was taken by

Canon Doug Robins. The preacher

was the Rt Revd the Bishop of St

Germans, who also rededicated the

newly restored organ during the

service, and the singing was led by

the Roseland Singers, of whom our

Treasurer is a member. We express

our thanks to our hosts for such an

enjoyable occasion.

Truro members at Trist House

27

Bath and Wells

17th May: Solemn Matins at 11.30

a.m. at Pusey House, Oxford.

Lunch will be followed by a tour

of Pusey House and then a lecture

by Fr David Deboys, Assistant Vicar

of Tewkesbury Abbey.

Monday, 12th May: members

are invited to the English Clergy

Association’s annual service of

Holy Communion at St Giles-in-

the-Fields, London. After lunch

the 2014 lecture will be given by

the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Lord

Williams of Oystermouth, former

Archbishop of Canterbury, now

Master of Magdalene College,

Cambridge.

Tuesday, 13th May: Evensong at

Merton College, Oxford. Sung in

Latin by the college chapel choir,

it will be conducted according to

the 1662 Book of Common

Prayer. The service will be

followed by a formal dinner in

college.

Saturday, 21st June: There will

be tours of the house and gardens

of Chalfield Manor, Wiltshire, at

2.00 p.m. After tea, Evensong at

All Saints, Great Chalfield will be

sung by the Harmonia Singers.

Monday, 28th July to Saturday,

2nd August: Musica Deo Sacra

Festival, Tewkesbury Abbey.

Sunday, 17th August to Sunday,

24th August: Edington Festival of

Music within the Liturgy.

Saturday, 23rd August: the AGM

at Luckington will be followed by

a said celebration of Holy

Communion at the Church of St

Mary and St Ethelbert. After lunch

at the village pub, there will be a

tour of Luckington Court at 2.30

p.m., followed by readings in the

church to celebrate the life and

works of John Donne.

Sunday, 12th October:

Members are invited to join the

congregation at the Church of St

Thomas of Canterbury,

Cothelstone for Holy Communion

at 11.00 a.m. There will be a tour

of Cothelstone Manor in the

afternoon.

Blackburn

The 2014 Branch Festival will take

place at Blackburn Cathedral on

Saturday 17th May. It will begin

with Choral Holy Communion.

The celebrant will be the Revd

Canon Dr Ian Stockton (Canon

Chancellor) and the preacher the

Rt Revd Julian Henderson (Bishop

Forthcoming Events

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May I take this opportunity to thank all those

readers who have responded to the adverts in

our Journal over the past two years?

This makes my job that much easier when I

approach the advertiser for a second time asking

him or her to continue with us for another year.

If you have got a return on your investment you

know that you have made a correct choice. This

is reflected in comments made to me by

advertisers.

If readers have relatives and friends who run

businesses, especially those in the holiday trade,

and who you would think would profit by

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28

of Blackburn). This will be

followed by lunch (with wine) in

the crypt (tickets £12.50 per

person). 2.00 p.m. brief AGM.

2.15 p.m. Speaker: The Revd James

Lee Potter (Chairman of the

Chelmsford Branch of the PBS),

Subject: The Relevance of the 39

Articles in the 21st Century. 3.30

p.m. Choral Evensong sung by

Octavius.

There will be a ‘social only’

occasion at Whalley Abbey on

Friday 26th September.

Lichfield

The next Branch event will be

held in Shropshire on Trinity

Sunday (15th June) and full

details will be forwarded to

members by the Branch Honorary

Secretary in the near future.

Lincoln

The Annual Meeting of the PBS

will take place in the Parish

Rooms of St James’ Parish Church,

Louth at 3.00 p.m. on Saturday,

10th May followed by tea in the

Church Tea Room. There will be a

service of Evening Prayer at

approximately 4.30 p.m.

Winchester and Portsmouth

On the afternoon of Saturday, 15th

March, there will be a visit to the

Museum of Army Chaplaincy at

Amport House, Amport,

Hampshire, SP11 8BG. Outline

programme (TBC): assemble at 2

p.m. followed by a welcome talk

about the role of Amport House, a

visit to the museum, Evening

Prayer, and finally dispersing at

4.30 p.m. Security arrangements

apply. AHEAD of this visit we are

required to supply a nominal roll

of those people attending. Please

be so kind as to inform Mrs Nikki

Sales (on 01489 570899, or at

nikki.sales@pbs.org.uk) NO

LATER THAN Wednesday, 12th

March of your intention to

attend, and if you have any

disabilities.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014Next year, the Society’s Annual Conference will again be returning to

the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, from Friday 19th to

Sunday 21st September 2014. Please make a note in your diary.

The 2014 Conference programme will be available nearer the time.

29

Are you proud of your country

and her glorious history?

Then why not become a member of

The Royal Society of St George.

Membership provides an opportunity

to take part in our determination to

honour England and Englishness, and

to celebrate our nation and its

achievements.

The Aims of Our Society:- To respect the Monarchy; Duty to our Sovereign and our Country

- The cause of England and Englishness

In accordance with our Constitution, the Objects of the Society are:

1. To foster the love of England and to strengthen England and the Commonwealth by spreading the knowledge

of English history, traditions and ideals.

2. To keep fresh the memory of those, in all walks of life, who have served England or the Commonwealth in the

past in order to inspire leadership in the future.

3. To combat all activities likely to undermine the strength of England or the Commonwealth.

4. To further English interests everywhere to ensure that St. George’s Day is properly celebrated and to provide

focal points the world over where English men and woman may gather together.

For more information or a brochure on the Society, please contact us at Head Office:

Address: The Royal Society of St George, Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 1LA, England

Telephone: 020 3225 5011 - Fax: 020 8508 4356 - Email: info@royalsocietyofstgeorge.com - Website: www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com

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Subscriptions: Full UK Individual Membership: £25.00 p.a - Full UK Joint Membership: £35.00 p.a – Other memberships are available.

For your subscription you will receive a membership pack with a unique RSStG badge, membership card, car sticker, welcome letter from our Chairman,

information on the Society, including members’ benefits, St George’s Day petition form and two previous issues of our Journal. Thereafter you will receive 3 copies

of our Journal per year, updates via e-mail and you can become involved in the many events and activities that are held around the country.

Membership Application Form

Name:……………………....................................…………..............................................................…….Email:…………….…........................…………….........

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I / We wish to further the Aims and Objectives of the Society (as printed in the ‘St George For England’ Journal) and now apply for membership of

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THE ENGLISH CLERGY ASSOCIATIONFounded 1938 www.clergyassoc.co.uk

Patron: The Rt. Rev’d & Rt. Hon. the Lord Bishop of LondonPresident: Professor Sir Anthony Milnes Coates, Bt., B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.

Parliamentary Vice-President: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cormack, F.S.A.

The Association seeks to be a Church ofEngland mutual resource and support forclergy (with Freehold or on CommonTenure) patrons and churchwardensrequiring information or insight.

Donations to the Benefit Fund provideClergy Holidays:

Gifts, Legacies, Church Collections muchappreciated.

Registered Charity No. 258559

Mon. 12th MAY 20142p.m.

The speaker at St Giles-in-the-Fieldswill be Rowan, Lord Williams of

Oystermouth

St. Giles-in-the-Fields, London (St. GilesHigh St. Tottenham Court Road tube)

Benoporto-eca@yahoo.co.uk for Membership enquiries.The Old School House, Norton Hawkfield, Bristol BS39 4HB

Our former Archbishop will celebrate Communion (1662) at 12.45pm that day, before a reservablebuffet lunch.

Annual Address usually printed in the Members’ journal Parson & Parish.

Our Society is non-political, non-racist, non-sectarian and membership is open to all those who agree with our aims and objectives.

Branch Contacts• BATH & WELLS:

Mr Ian Girvan, 59 Kempthorne Lane,

Bath BA2 5DX

Tel: 01225 830663

iangirvan@me.com

• BIRMINGHAM:

Mrs Joy Burns, 46 Underwood Road,

Handsworth Wood, Birmingham

B20 1JS

Tel: 0121 686 5565

jaybee46@btinternet.com

• BLACKBURN:

Mr Neil Inkley, 6 Knot Lane, Walton-

le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire PR5 4BQ

Tel: 01772 821676

Fax: 01772 259340

• BRADFORD:

Please contact the office, Copyhold

Farm

• BRISTOL:

Mr Roger Tucker, 18 Springfield

Grove, Westbury Park, Bristol BS6

7XQ

Tel: 0117 9248629

email: rogertucker@live.co.uk

Membership Secretary: Mrs Joyce

Morris, 29 St John’s Road, Clifton,

Bristol BS8 2HD

• CANTERBURY:

Mr Christopher Cooper, Goose and

Gridiron, 6 Churchyard Passage,

Ashford, Kent TN23 1QL

Tel: 07525 095717

saveashfordchurch@yahoo.co.uk

• CARLISLE:

Secretary: Mrs Joy Budden, Arthuret

House, Longtown CA6 5SJ

Tel: 01228 792263

jobudsignofthefish@yahoo.co.uk

Membership Secretary: Mrs Kate

East, 10 Fernwood Drive, Kendal

LA9 5BU

Tel: 01539 725055

• CHELMSFORD:

Mr David Martin, The Oak House,

Chelmsford Road, Felsted CM6 3EP

Tel: 01371 820591

• CHESTER:

Mr J. Baldwin, Rosalie Farm, Church

Minshull, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5

6EF

Tel: 01270 528487

mdsc187@aol.com

• CHICHESTER:

Mrs Valerie Dane, 225 Chichester

Road, Bognor Regis PO21 5AQ

Tel: 01243 827330

valerie.225@btinternet.com

(Chichester East) The Revd G.

Butterworth, The Vicarage, 51

Saltdean Vale, Saltdean, East Sussex

BN2 8HE

Tel: 01273 302345

• COVENTRY:

Mr Peter Bolton, 19 Kineton Road,

Wellesbourne, Warwickshire CV35

9NE

Tel: 01789 840814

peterandrosalindbolton@hotmail.com

• DERBY:

Please contact the office, Copyhold

Farm

• DURHAM:

Mrs Rosemary Hall, 23 Beatty

Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2

3QN

Tel: 0191 285 7534

hallrosyhall@aol.com

• ELY:

Mr P. K. C. White, The Orchard

House, 12 Thrift’s Walk, Old

Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1NR

Tel: 01223 324176

pkcwhite@waitrose.com

• EXETER:

Mrs Esme Heath, Brookfield,

Stokenham, Kingsbridge, Devon

TQ7 2SL

Tel: 01548 580615

esme.heath@sky.com

• GLOUCESTER:

Miss S.M. Emson, 38 Gloucester

Road, Stratton, Cirencester GL7 2JY

Tel: 01285 654591

susanemson@gmail.com

• GUILDFORD:

Dr John Verity, 65 Chart Lane,

Reigate RH2 7EA

Tel: 01737 210792

• HEREFORD:

Mr Stephen Evans, 14 Raven Lane,

Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1BW

Tel: 01584 873436

Mobile: 07920 200619

• LEICESTER:

Mrs S. Packe-Drury-Lowe, 35 Green

Lane, Seagrave, Loughborough LE12

7LU

Tel: 01509 815262

ritaphillips@gmail.com

• LICHFIELD:

Mr D. Doggett, Grassendale, 5 Park

Drive, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11

1BN

Tel: 01691 652902

• LINCOLN:

The Hon. Christopher Brightman,

The Grange, Hall Street, Wellingore

LN5 0HU

Tel: 01522 811432

cbrightman@hotmail.co.uk

• LIVERPOOL:

Ms Dianne Rothwell, 7 Gorsey Lane,

Warrington WA1 3PT

elfmag@btinternet.com

Tel: 01925 632974 (eve)

• LONDON & SOUTHWARK:

Mr Paul Meitner, c/o the PBS office,

Copyhold Farm

paul.meitner@uk.pwc.com

Tel: 020 7212 6394

• MANCHESTER:

Mr Nicholas Johnson, 552 Liverpool

Street, Salford, Manchester M5 5JX

nicholasj2104@yahoo.co.uk

• NEWCASTLE:

Mrs Rosemary Hall, 23 Beatty

Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2

3QN

Tel: 0191 285 7534

hallrosyhall@aol.com

• NORWICH:

Mrs A. Wilson, The Old Rectory,

Burston Road, Dickleburgh, Diss,

Norfolk IP21 4NN

Tel: 01379 740561

• OXFORD:

Mr J. B. Dearing, 27 Sherman Road,

Reading, Berkshire RG1 2PJ

Tel: 0118 958 0377

gpwild@btconnect.com

• PETERBOROUGH:

Mrs M. Stewart, The Sycamores, 3

Oakham Road, Whissendine, Rutland

LE15 7HA

Tel: 01664 474353

mary.stewart@decomplexity.com

• PORTSMOUTH: Please see

Winchester & Portsmouth

• RIPON & LEEDS:

Mr J. R. Wimpress, Bishopton Grove

House, Bishopton, Ripon HG4 2QL

Tel: 01765 600888

bgh@ripon.org

• ROCHESTER:

Mr G. Comer, 102 Marlborough

Crescent, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2HR

Tel: 01732 461462

joannacomer@btinternet.com

• ST ALBANS:

Mrs J.M. Paddick (Treasurer)

82 Barton Way, Croxley Green,

St Albans WD3 3QA

Tel: 01923 442734

j.paddick@ntlworld.com

• ST EDMUNDSBURY & IPSWICH:

Mr Anthony C. Desch, 4 Byfield Way,

Bury St Edmunds IP33 2SN

Tel: 01284 755355

anthony@adesch.wanadoo.co.uk

• SALISBURY:

Mrs Lucy Pearson, 10 Briar Close,

Wyke, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 4SS

Tel: 01747 825392

lucypearson@waitrose.com

• SHEFFIELD:

Miss Rosemary Littlewood, Railway

House, Hazlehead, Sheffield S36 4HJ

Tel: 01226 764092

rowood@waitrose.com

• SODOR & MAN:

Mrs Clare Faulds, The Lynague,

German, Isle of Man IM5 2AQ

faulds@mcb.net

Tel: 01624 842045

• SOUTHWARK:

Please see London & Southwark

• SOUTHWELL & NOTTINGHAM:

Mr A.F. Sunman, 1 Lunn Lane, South

Collingham, Newark NG23 7LP

Tel: 01636 893975

adriansunman@lineone.net

• TRURO:

Mr J. St Brioc Hooper, 1 Tregarne

Terrace, St Austell PL25 4BE

Tel: 01726 76382

j.stbrioc@btinternet.com

• WAKEFIELD:

The Revd Philip Reynolds, St Aidan’s

Vicarage, Radcliffe Street,

Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield HD8

9AF

Tel: 01484 863232

life.draw@virgin.net

• WINCHESTER & PORTSMOUTH:

Mrs Nikki Sales, 19 Heath Road

South, Locks Heath, Southampton

SO31 6SJ

Tel: 01489 570899

grass.green@virgin.net

• WORCESTER:

Mr John Comins, The Old Rectory,

Birlingham, Nr Pershore WR10 3AB

Tel: 01386 750292

john_comins@yahoo.co.uk

• YORK:

Mr R. A. Harding, 5 Lime Avenue,

Stockton Lane, York YO31 1BT

Tel: 01904 423347

eboraco@talktalk.net

• NORTH WALES:

The Revd Neil Fairlamb, 5 Tros-yr-

afon, Beaumaris, Anglesey LL58 8BN

Tel: 01248 811402

rheithor@spamarrest.com

• SOUTH WALES:

Dr J. H. E. Baker, 56 Bridge Street,

Llandaff CF5 2YN

Tel: 0292 057 8091

• CHANNEL ISLANDS: Please see

Winchester & Portsmouth

• OVERSEAS MEMBERS:

Mrs Sally Tipping, Woodland Cross

Cottage, Woodland Head, Yeoford,

Crediton, Devon EX17 5HE

sally631@btinternet.com

AFFILIATED BRANCHES

• IRELAND: Please contact the office,

Copyhold Farm

• SOUTH AFRICA: Please contact the

office, Copyhold Farm

SISTER SOCIETIES

• AUSTRALIA:

Miss Margaret Steel, 9/63 O'Sullivan

Road, Rose Bay, NSW 2029

mste8801@bigpond.net.au

Mr F. Ford, PO Box 2, Heidelberg,

Victoria, 3084, Australia

Mrs Joan Blanchard, 96 Devereux

Road, Beaumont, South Australia,

5066, Australia

• CANADA:

The Prayer Book Society of Canada,

P.O. Box 38060, 1430 Prince of

Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C

3Y7, Canada

• SCOTLAND:

Mr J. C. Lord, 11 Melrose Gardens,

Glasgow G20 6RB

Tel: 0141 946 5045

jcl30@btinternet.com

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

The Prayer Book Society, P.O. Box

35220, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

19128, USA

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