PARISH NEWSAugust 2013

HOLY TRINITY CHURCHBradford on Avon

Benefice  of  Bradford  on  Avon  Holy  Trinity, Westwood  and Wingfield

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DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY CHURCHRector The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BA15 1AF

joanna@abecassis.freeserve.co.uk 864444Churchwardens Trevor Ford 25 Downavon, BA15 1JH 862240

Judith Holland 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD 866215Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton beneficeadmin@brad-avon-ht.org.ukAdmin Assistant Aylene Clack beneficeoffice@brad-avon-ht.org.ukAssistant Wardens David Emerson, David Milne, Brian Netley, Val Payne, John WoodsRetired Clergy Canon Richard Askew, The Ven John Burgess, CanonDavid Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon PeterHardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Rt Revd Bill Ind, The RevdAngela Onions, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins.Benefice Lay Ministers Graham Dove (licensed) 868654 Andrew Desmond (licensed) 862168 Dr Malcolm Walsh (retired)Pastoral Care Team see page 37Director of Music Thomas Pelham 07922 849982Times of Services (Check Bulletins and notices or Church web site)Sundays 8am Eucharist (Traditional language) 9.30am Sung Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 6pm Evensong, Compline, etcWeekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwardsDaily (not Sundays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm (please enter via the north door opposite the Saxon Church, and check Bulletin for any cancellations)Church opening times April to September: the church is usually open to visitors on weekdays from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.Times of MeetingsChoir Practice 6.30pm Church, TuesdaysTeam Trinity 9.30am Guide HQ (1st and 2nd Sundays in the month, September to July, except Easter)Mothers’ Union 7.30pm 3rd Thursday, Cedar Court, Berryfield Road, BoA.Saxon Club 2–4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church HallBell Practice 7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th MondaysBenefice web-site www.brad-avon-ht.org.ukWeekly Bulletin Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday.

Please let the Rector, an LLM, or any other member of the PastoralCare Team know if someone needs visiting at home or in hospital.

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DIARY  FOR AUGUST

Parish News copy date for September is 18th August

WEEKLY GROUPS

Monday 7.30pm ‘Faith Explored’ (no meetings in August)

Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children – school terms only)

Thursday 11am ‘ Faith Explored’ (No meeting on 15th or 22nd August) Vicarage, 18A, Woolley Street

1 Thursday 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory

3 Saturday 2pm Holy Baptism of Jack James Sturla

4 SUNDAY THE TENTH SUNDAY OF TRINITY

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Compline Saxon Church

9 Friday 12 noon Mary Sumner Day (MU) Eucharist

Saxon Church

11 SUNDAY THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF TRINITY

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong Christ Church

18 SUNDAY THE TWELFTH SUNDAY OF TRINITY

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong Westwood

25 SUNDAY THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF TRINITY

9.30am Sung Eucharist

2.00pm Marriage of John Eldred and Amelia Norgrove 6pm Evensong Saxon Church

26 Monday 2.30pm Westwood Flower & Vegetable Show

Westwood Manor/Church/Tithe Barn & surrounding area

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'Excellence, energy and engagement!'Bishop Nicholas has recently set us all a challenge: that the church shouldcontinue to be a place of “excellence, energy and engagement”! They areall concepts very much after my own heart, and certainly a great way ofdescribing the church and how we see the way ahead at Holy Trinity – theultimate glass half-full approach!

The Archdeacon of Sarum, the Ven Alan Jeans, came to talk to the Friends ofHoly Trinity AGM one gloriously hot July evening. He posed the challenge, as helooked round the church: “what is keeping people out?” A very good question toask ourselves! And of course there are many answers. But “excellence, energyand engagement” are surely all qualities which attract? And, to be honest, if wetook a straw poll out and about in the streets, I don't think that this is how manypeople would describe the church! But wouldn't it be great if word got out thatthat is just what you will find at Holy Trinity?! For engagement andconnectedness with God, with his teachings, with all those around us and in thecommunity, of all ages and stages, is absolutely fundamental to christiandiscipleship. It is about total commitment – about no half measures – aboutnothing being good enough for God. And of course that takes energy, which inturn becomes infectious – it draws others in – and so leads to an ever moreexciting engagement. It then becomes only natural that we shall always seekafter excellence in our worship, our music, our relationships, our giving andgenerosity, our welcome, and our very building itself.

Kate Wiggins is someone who knows all about this! In my very first week, inJuly 2010, Kate came to see me with a little idea called mainly music. The rest, asthey say, and as all readers of Parish News will know, is history. But it has been areal story of “excellence, energy and engagement” – as they are such essentialmission tools. As a concept, mainly music is all about excellence – about highstandards. And so the children listen, sing and move to quality music and lyrics –the mums sip real, freshly‐brewed coffee out of attractive mugs and munchhome-made cake – and the team are, of course, immaculately trained and tip-top. The engagement of the team is impressive as every family is not only‘known by name’ but loved and cared for, and so many great friendships havebeen made. But this all takes a huge amount of energy… So we say a big, bigthank-you to Kate as she steps down with a fantastic job done! And a big thank-you to Marlene too as she takes over the rôle of co-ordinator, and to the teamwho will work with her.

With my love and prayers and every blessing for a happyAugust ,

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Team Trinity NewsFirstly, we should like to thank everyone who donatedunwanted toys to our stall at the Street Market onSaturday 6th July. We did very well, making £71. A bigthank-you also to Jackie Easby for her ‘lucky dip’. We had one or twofunny moments when some very small children nearly went head overheels inside the lucky-dip box. Team Trinity met twice in July and at our second meeting we icedcakes and had a miniature party to mark the end of term. We shallnot be meeting in August, but will meet again on Sunday 1st Septemberin the Guide HQ at 9.30am. At the 'Sing Hosanna' service in July it was lovely to see 14children in and around the choir stalls, and getting involved in the‘Mary and Martha’ story along with Sybil. We wish all the children a happy and safe holiday and we send ourbest wishes to Yasmin and Megan who will be moving to St Laurenceschool in September.

June, Sue & Muriel

Ride ‘n’ Stride, Saturday 14th September, 2013Further details will follow in the September issue of Parish News, butin the meantime it would be good for Holy Trinity to be open andSTEWARDED on the 14�� September to welcome visiting Riders andStriders and cater for their needs. If you can, please volunteer in orderto help this worthy cause.

Edward Shaw

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T he end of the school term saw us sayinggoodbye  to  five  of  our  children  who  willstart school in September. Two have been

with us from the beginning when they were stilllearning to walk and talk, and the others are wellestablished members so we shall miss them all. Mostleave younger siblings and mothers with us so weshall keep up with their progress. We wish them allGod's blessing as their horizons expand and thankthem for all the joy and fun they have brought us.

It is also time for me to move on, and as I regretfully hang up my mm T-shirt Ilook back over nearly three years for which I am immensely grateful. In particularI am thankful for:-

v the inspiration God gave to two Kiwi women twenty years ago to startmainly music

v the warm response of the PCC in the spring of 2010 to my suggestion thatwe set up a group

v their willingness to underwrite us financially when church finances werepretty low

v the large and enthusiastic group who volunteered to be in the team

v their commitment to training and their wealth of ideas on how we couldmake it work in our church – which they continue to provide as we amendand update

v those who have joined the team since, replacing those who had to give upafter two or more years of strong support

v Joanna's endorsement on her arrival in July 2010 and her great help inobtaining an Aldhelm Mission Fund Grant

v overcoming problems of carpet and nappy changer

v those church members who brought toys

v those half dozen or so families who arrived on the first morning inNovember as we waited nervously in church wondering if anyone wouldcome

v the many other families who have gradually joined us: we have 16 familiesin the group at present and another eighteen have been members andhave moved on, usually because of work or children moving to nursery.

v a waiting list that has never been empty! We can only take 15 - 16 familiesbecause of space.

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v the largely unseen team of cooks who provide us with yummy cakes eachweek

v the faithful prayer support of the MU and many of you. We have been soaware of God's answers and presence with us

v the Churchwardens who have always supported us and let us keep anincreasingly large and rather unsightly pile of equipment behind thebookstall

v the knitters who produced lambs for last Advent, creating enough for2013 as well

v the whole church who have always been so interested and supportive

And now my special thanks go to the whole team who, between them, willkeep the group going with Marlene co‐ordinating their efforts.

Then lastly, though it should be firstly, thanks to God himself who hasblessed us in so many ways, not least in the happiness our lovely mums andchildren have brought us. May He continue to be close to each and every personinvolved in this very special group.

Kate Wiggins

FROM THE REGISTERSBaptisms

Samuel and Archie Wride July 21st

Marriages

Aaron Burchell & Charlotte Verrall *June 1st

Stephen Jackson and Leanne Mayo July 19th

James Rose and Sarah-Jane Redshaw July 19th

Mark Jones and Leanne Haynes July 27th

Stephen Chadwick and Nataly Florentiades July 27th

Funerals

Violet May Poulton June 27th (Semington)

Vera Constance Stevens July 11th

Lancelot John Hope July 25th

*This wedding was inadvertently omitted from the June list in the July issue ofParish News. We apologise to Aaron and Charlotte and to their families for theomission.

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In July members and husbands sat down to a delicious meal at the Millat Rode. We had a beautiful day (a forerunner of the July to come!) andenjoyed drinks outside overlooking the mill stream. After the meal Sylvia

entertained us with some funny stories and David read from Hilaire Belloc'sMatilda who told lies and a nostalgic, amusing piece from AA Milne's Whenwe were very young.

Percy then popped up and had apparently been to Wimbledon to find someof his namesakes beginning with 'P'. Peregrine the falcon was keeping thepigeons at bay (Percy was a bit torn here as they both begin with 'P'). Prunellahas proposed but Percy (being Percy) has said “no chance” despite the prospectof some little ‘P’s’! He then went off to prepare for his party on the 24�� Julywhen he will be raising money for the MU Holiday at Sidmouth in August.

By the time you read this, our Wave of Prayer will have taken place when weshall be praying for our link dioceses around the world, especially in Kenya,Australia, Sudan and Manchester, as well as for the Sidmouth Holiday, theRockley Sands Caravan, the local Refuge and Prisons where MU members visit.

Members might like to be reminded that there is an invitation to St James’sChurch Hall, Trowbridge, for a Cream Tea on Wednesday, August 7��, at 2.30pm(Let Ian or Sylvia know if you want to go) and two days later on the 9�� wecelebrate Mary Sumner Day at the 12 noon with Eucharist in church followed bylunch in town. We know many are on holiday for some or all of these events butlook forward to seeing those who can make it.

Ian and Sylvia

Mothersʹ  Union  can  make  a  Difference!In response to hearing of the terrible situation in Kadugli and the NubaMountains in 2012, Holy Trinity Mothers’ Union, Bradford on Avon, decidedthey would like to raise money to send to the people of Kadugli. Themembers decided they would use their talents to raise funds to buy agrinding mill for the Yida Refugee Camp. The mill would not only allowthose at the camp to grind their own grain but would enable them to takein grain from other sources and grind it for them in order to make anincome.

Eight members, fully supported by the other members, took up thischallenge and were each given £5 to start their fund-raising. This was done asfollows:-

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Sponsored Swims £253, Safari Supper £140, Sale of Decoupage Cards £77,Lunch Party £65, Wine & Nibbles Evening £95, Donations £25.50.

The total was £655.50.These events took place over 4 months and created a great sense of fun and

fellowship among Mothers’ Union members and their friends.

In April 2013, the grinding mill, along with some medical supplies such as saltand soap, was loaded onto a truck to Yida Refugee Camp and the NubaMountains via Juba. At the Sudan Day in June at St John's, Trowbridge, aphotograph was shown of the fully operational grinding mill. What a differencethis mill has made to the people of the Yida Refugee Camp and how great tohave this feedback that makes all our efforts worthwhile!

Marlene Haffenden

Keep cool with cucumber sandwichesIf you get hot this month, reach for a cucumber sandwich, washed down with beeror tea. All three have been found to help keep you cool in hot weather. Bear inmind that iced water or other chilled drinks and food will not help – the extremelycold food or drink chills your stomach, but sends into shock other parts of thebody, so that they do not operate as effectively. Hot drinks are actuallyrecommended on hot days – the tannins in tea (and wine) are cooling agents. Icecream doesn’t help, but curry does. Bear in mind that fruit and vegetables withhigh water content are particularly good in hot weather. The study was done bythe American Chemical Society.

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MARGUERITE HICKSMarguerite Hicks died peacefully with herfamily at her bedside on 24�� June 2013.Marguerite and her husband, Alan, moved toBradford in 1976 and immediately becameregular attendees at Holy Trinity. Sadly Alan'sretirement was short and his funeral washeld at Holy Trinity the following year.

Marguerite worked as a psychiatric socialworker in Devizes visiting clients all over thelocal area and upon retiring she served on theAvon Health Authority Trust. In retirement shedevoted her time to her family and friends and consequently she will be muchmissed by all who knew her. She leaves four children all of whom regularlyvisited Bradford on Avon, including Clare, who was married in Holy Trinity,and Tristram, who attended Fitzmaurice Grammar School until just before itbecame St Laurence School. Marguerite loved everything about Bradford onAvon, but most of all she treasured her many friends there.

There will be a Thanksgiving service in celebration of her life at Holy TrinityChurch at 2.00pm on Friday 4�� October, 2013. The service will be followed byrefreshments at the Leigh Park Hotel and Clare, Tristram, Juliet and Barryhope very much that parishioners who knew Marguerite, perhaps throughBridge, Rambling, U3A, the Preservation Trust, NADFAS or Art Class will beable to join them to celebrate their mother's life.

Donations can be made to Marguerite's favourite charities: Holy TrinityChurch, Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust, or Amnesty International, bycheque to Richard Steel & Partners, Alderman House, 12-14 City Road,Winchester SO23 8SD. To help gauge catering please let her son know if youare likely to attend, at the following address: tristram.hicks@gmail.com or0208 394 1455.

BUNTY'S NEW ADDRESS

Bunty Johns would like everyone to know how very grateful she is for allyour love and prayers and visits over the past few weeks – so a huge thankyou – and also to let you know her new address:Romney House, 11, Westwood Road, Trowbridge, BA14 9BR.

Tel: 01225 753952 (this is the main House number, but she hopes to haveher own phone again very soon).

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The Archbishop of Canterbury supports theIF Campaign

Justin Welby has supported the recent launch of the campaign to encourageworld leaders to tackle world hunger. The IF campaign is made up of morethan 200 charities, faith groups and organisations. The campaign is urgingG8 leaders to take big steps that will tackle the global injustice of hunger.Referring to “the opportunity we have to end hunger in our lifetimes”, theArchbishop said: “The only way that’s going to happen is by massmovements of people, like yourselves, getting together.”

The Archbishop continued: “In many parts of the world, the churches are themost effective networks through which generosity from other people can beused without actually displacing or diminishing the work of the people on theground locally – local people developing their own countries.”

In his message the Archbishop reflected on issues of aid, tax and transparencyon the G8 agenda. His prayer would be for worldwide commitment “to enablingpeople to be self-sustaining, so that global hunger can be ended in our lifetimes.”At present, two million children around the world die each year from hunger, andone in eight people do not have enough to eat.

Source: Parish Pump

On June 30�� a celebrationBenefice  Eucharist  was  heldat Holy Trinity for the 10��anniversary of Joanna’sordination as priest. Thiswas  also  our  first  eucharisttogether  as  a  new  Benefice.The preacher was the VenJohn Rawlings, Archdeaconof Totnes, pictured herewith Joanna at theconclusion of the service.

Appropriately, during the serviceJoanna wore a chasuble which is partof a set belonging to St Mary theVirgin, Westwood, where later, at

Evensong, the Ringers rang a specialcelebratory quarter peal – 1260 mixeddoubles; Plain Bob and Grandsire, forreaders who know their Dorothy LSayers!

A CELEBRATION BENEFICE EUCHARIST

D Milne

DM

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PROGRESS, BUT STILL A LONG WAY TO GOCHRISTIAN AID REPORT ON THE IF CAMPAIGN

Over the past six months you've rallied, emailed, lobbied and demandedaction on the causes of hunger, with more than a million others around theworld as part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign. On Monday,we delivered your message to the G8 in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of the summit the UK promised to clamp down on tax havens that areUK overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Then at thesummit itself the G8 heeded your calls and agreed some important stepstowards tackling tax dodging. This was a great achievement by campaignerslike you. Twelve months ago we would simply not have believed this issuewould be top of their agenda. But there is a long way to go yet and more mustbe done to support poor countries in this fight.

Whilst the G8 made all the headlines, we've also had another success whichdidn't make the news. After much campaigning by Christian Aid and otherorganisations, new EU laws were passed making European oil, gas, mining andlogging companies more transparent and less able to dodge tax in developingcountries.

But these recent successes have yet to make a difference to the world's poorand so we shall continue to campaign until they do. Together we must hold ourleaders to account on the promises they've now made.

Thank you for your continued support, and for the support of our campaignsin the future. With warmest wishes,

Alasdair RoxburghChurches campaigns manager, Christian Aid

Holy Trinity's Contribution:Our sale of wristbands raised £36 in cash and considerable awareness of thepolitical possibilities for good of concerted action by churches and charities.

Le�-handedBobby went to the park one Sunday afternoon with his grandma. It was latesummer, but still many flowers were in bloom. Everything was beautiful. Hisgrandma remarked: “It looks as though an artist painted this scenery. Did youknow God painted this just for you?”

Bobby said: “Yes, God did it and he did it left-handed.” Confused, hisgrandma asked why he thought that. “Easy,” said Bobby, “we learned in SundaySchool this morning that Jesus sits on God's right hand!”

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A BRADFORD ON AVON TEENAGER TAKESTHE IF PLEA TO 10, DOWNING STREET

A teenager from Bradford on Avon hasrepresented Save the Children at 10,Downing Street, as part of the Enough

Food For Everyone IF campaign, as hisdelegation posed a question to Microsoftfounder Bill Gates. St Laurence sixth-formstudent  Chris  Lauder  was  one  of  five  peoplepicked to take a petition to Downing Street aspart of the UK campaign to highlight globalhunger.

The 17-year-old, of Leigh Park Road, has beenmaking YouTube films for four years and he puthis hobby to good use by uploading a video on tothe IF Campaign page. He said: “I was quiteshocked when I was asked to go, because, a yearago I would never have thought I'd be going toDowning Street”.

Charlie McDonnell is the most successful British YouTuber and he set up theIF YouTube after going to Tanzania with his mother, Lindsay, to raise awarenessof the poverty there. He said: “They chose five YouTubers to go with them, tohand in the petition which included a disc with all of the videos that had beenuploaded, which apparently David Cameron watched.

“It was quite incredible to go. When you walk through the gates, everybodylooks at you like, ‘What are you doing here?’” As part of the campaign, Charliehad the opportunity to ask Microsoft billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates aquestion on a live stream video link.

Charlie said: “I asked him what aid he felt would be most beneficial and long‐lasting in tackling hunger in areas of poverty? It's something that I'd neverthought I'd do. I don't know how to describe it. It was overwhelming.”

Anna MauremootuWiltshire Times, Friday 21st June, 2013

An optimist sees only the initial payment; the pessimist sees the future instalmentsand the upkeep.

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CHRISTIAN AID WEEK COLLECTION 2013,12TH TO 18TH MAY

Bradford on Avon and surrounding villages

TOWN Area AmountLiz Forbes and collectors Christchurch areas 451.50Jonquil Burgess and collectors Holy Trinity areas 626.19Wendy Walker and collectors United Church areas 498.27Mike Fuller and collectors Southway Park area 823.33Ann Middleton and collectors St. Thomas More areas 508.60

TOTAL 2907.89VILLAGESEileen Edgar, Brenda Witts and collectors Holt 856.00Georgina Parker and collectors South Wraxall 252.04Eric Kirk and collectors Westwood 253.22Emma Grant and collectors Wingfield 168.86Alison Wells and collectors Winsley 1737.31

TOTAL 3,267.43£TOTAL ENVELOPE COLLECTION (includes £75 CAF vouchers) 6,175.32£

FUNDRAISING EVENTSChristian Aid Coffee Morning ------------- organised by Eileen Edgar for Holt churches 242.60Christian Aid Lunch -------------- ----------organised by Joy Messer for Christchurch 247.40Open Garden and Cake Sale ------------------organised by Jonquil Burgess 325.00Profit made at the Bookswap held in the United Reform church in Holte at the Bookswap held in the United Reform church in Holt 19.00

TOTAL 834.00£ALSOCollections for Christian Aid at church services (Holy Trinity and the United Church) 381.60Donations placed in the Christian Aid collecting tin (Holy Trinity). 19.31

400.91£

TOTAL FROM ALL SOURCES 7,410.23£

Thank you and many congratulations to everyone. In the changingeconomic climate we are experiencing, this is a truly gratifying result. Theteamwork has been amazing, but so has the GENEROSITY of the people inour areas, both town and villages. Christian Aid will use this amount ofmoney  to  great  effect. When  the  Gift  Aid  promised  is  added,  over  £600  willincrease the total further, taking it above £8000.

A huge THANK YOU to all,Ann Middleton

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Thanks…As  Holy  Trinity  remembers  the  areas  of  conflict  in  our  world  each  week,we often pray for the refugees in Syria. It is very encouraging that somany of the congregation contributed to the retiring collection to showour support and solidarity with those people who have lost so much.Thank you for all your support of Christian Aid. The treasurer has receivedthe following letter of thanks from Christian Aid following the collection inchurch for the Syria Appeal:

Dear JeremyMany thanks for transferring the amount of £224.74 raised at Holy TrinityBradford for our work with Syria. Please do pass on my thanks to all who helpedwith this.

As well as supporting refugees who have fled Syria, we are also responding tothe desperate humanitarian needs inside the country by sending funds to theInternational Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), a sister faith-basedinternational organisation. IOCC is working with Syrian churches, Islamic, andsecular organisations, to reach the widest number of people. With your support,our work with IOCC is providing emergency essentials such as food rations,bedding, and hygiene kits. They are also helping put roofs over heads ofdisplaced families by providing rent subsidies and shelter improvements. Cashfor work schemes simultaneously provide an income for families who have leftjobs and support behind, while carrying out useful local work. To minimisedisruption to education, IOCC is giving children and young people who havefled their homes tuition and fees support to get them into school where possible,and providing remedial classes where necessary.

New mothers and young children are among the most vulnerable. IOCC isproviding pre- and post-natal care, as well as emergency nutrition andbreastfeeding education through mother support groups. IOCC is also supportingcommunity health workers, and psychosocial workshops to help people whohave fled violence – especially children – cope with trauma. With ChristianAid’s support, IOCC will be able to extend this crucial relief to more people inneed.

Christian Aid has a vision – a vision to end poverty. Thank you so muchagain for supporting our work.

Lucy McDonaldFinancial Processing Manager, Christian Aid

From a church news-sheet:The vicar is away on holiday for two weeks. Massages can be given to the curate.

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THE STREET MARKET –AND HOLY TRINITY HAS A VISION?

A  wonderful  time  was  had  by  all,  and  a  wonderful  record  financialresult was safely gathered in on that gloriously sunny Saturday of6�� July 2013. But… a huge amount of sheer hard work fell upon the

shoulders of a few – which is NOT the idea! For we are ALL called to bethe body of Christ in this place, loving and serving in our community withthat spirit of extravagant generosity with which we are blessed. And also –but very much as part and parcel of that – the way “that things havealways been done” is not necessarily the best way! And so I feel thattogether we need to review the Street Market in the light of our overall2nd decade of the 21st century mission and ministry. Most certainly, itneeds to be a ‘means of grace’ for us all.

For some reason, the Street Market has ‘escaped’ the ‘Holy Trinity has aVision’ treatment! So what does this tell us? How might the Street Market fitmore closely with our Vision? How might it be even better? Firstly, it tells usthat we are called and challenged – in everything we do regularly – to ‘go backto the drawing board’ and review. For example, it so happened that there was anew Refreshments Team this year – so that all had a ‘new look’, including thecompletely new Bacon and (free range!) Egg Roll stall. This was of course anexperiment, but in the light of some intuitive market research, and it all wentdown very well. So just to zip down our Holy Trinity has a Vision Summary:

1. Regarding our worship, ‘we are passionate about being inclusive andwelcoming, driven by the love of God, and open in our outlook – ‘beingopen to change and collaborative in our approach, as the ‘body’ ofChrist, of all ages’. So the Street Market is the church in thecommunity – all this applies – is there scope for doing better? Couldwe perhaps be more inclusive by involving our young families more?Could we be more ‘up-front’ in making it clear that it is a Holy TrinityChurch event and perhaps having some copies of Parish News on eachstall?

2. The church building should be: ‘clean, bright and shining, warm,welcoming  and  flexible’.  So  should  our  Street  Market  site!  Perhaps  weshould think some more about our stalls and gazebos and theirdecoration?

3. ‘Children, young people and their families should play a vital andintegral part in our life as a church’. So surely they need to bespecifically  involved  in  the  planning  and  implementation  of  the  day  –

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perhaps with a new stall or sideshow?

4. ‘The church develops a well thought-out system of giving whichembraces work overseas, at home and locally’ – ‘and would need toinclude a dedicated display space in church, good publicity, visitingspeakers and, of course, prayer’. Perhaps we might use the StreetMarket as ‘a Market Place’ for our current projects and to show thecommunity what and how and who we support?

5. ‘We are a church at the heart of the community’. This is what theStreet Market is all about! But how can we listen and serve ourcommunity better?

6. ‘We grow as a church community in our spirituality and theology’. Wecould  even  have  a  ‘listening’  and  ‘discussing’  post  –  with  some  leafletsto give away?

7. ‘We develop a greater sense of awareness of and participation in thewider church of which we are a part – the Bradford Group Ministry,the deanery, the diocese and Bradford Area Churches Together(BACT).’ Maybe there is scope for a little more collaboration next year?Particularly with BACT?

8. ‘We become a church community where every member of the bodyfeels  that  they may  find  and  exercise  their  vocation  and  take  on  rolesand responsibilities with joy for the good of the whole – modelling thecomplex  but  wonderfully  effective  pattern  of  bees  in  a  hive.’

So here is the big challenge to us all – this is an activity where there must bea rôle for all. So let's look forward to working together towards a really excitingand collaborative HTV Street Market in 2014! Perhaps we could kick off theyear with another church brainstorming day and gathering for lunch – HTV 2years on?!

Joanna

PS. I am drawing up a list of Lessons Learned and would welcome constructivecomments, particularly from those who managed Church Stalls, on how theorganization of the market might be improved, how to reduce the work load on asmall and increasingly older band of hard-working individuals, and anything elsethat might improve our impact on the community at large on this special day.

John Cox

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The Holy Trinity Street Market, July 6th 2013My Last Hurrah!

With memories of the Street Market still in mind, I've been reminiscingabout the many happy moments spent helping everyone to organize it overthe past few years. Though this yearattendance was down after lunch,perfect weather, generousdonations, and great food made itour best year ever in terms of fundraising, so we were truly blessed.Now here's my suggestion forattracting the crowd to WestburyGardens after lunch. Engage a bonafide artiste to walk across the riveron a tightrope! With carefulforethought and planning it mightbe arranged and would certainlyboost attendance and addimmensely to the family-fun factor.Perhaps you'll give it a whirl?

Greetings from Nova Scotia, and thanks for all the good times spent in goodcompany at Holy Trinity, a truly special place.

Jackie Easby

Our thanks to all the local businesseswhose donations to the StreetMarket  raffle made  it  such  a  success:

Art Is In The Name, AvondaleGardens, Bath Bakery, BrandyClassics, Bridge Tea Rooms,Budgens, Church Street Practice,Coffee  Etc.,  Dandy  Lion  Pub,  Dible  &Roy, Ex Libris, The Fat Fowl, TheGrocery  Basket,  Mr  Salvat's  CoffeeRoom, Neston Flowers, OrtonJewellery, Sebastien's Bistro, Stowford Manor Farm, The Lock Inn, StationPlace, The Swan Hotel, The Teapot, The Thai Barn, Tillions, Tudor Cards, allof Bradford on Avon, and

Pulteney Cruisers, Ltd, Bath.

Church stalls incomeBooks £272.50Bottle Tombola £322.00Bric-à-brac £1,132.80Mothers’ Union Pantry £442.25Plants £168.20Raffle £463.41Saxon Club £413.15Teas and Bacon Baps £972.95Tower visits £37.00Toys £72.71

Total £4,296.97

19

COMMUNITYA number of Holy Trinity people took part in the performance of Ona’sFlood, by Harvery Brough, double-billed with Benjamin Britten’s Noye’sFludde, in the Tithe Barn on 12�� and 13�� July. Despite our early struggleswith  complicated  cross‐rhythms  and  dissonant  chords,  we  emerged  confidentand inspired. The review by Dr Len Fisher in the Bath Chronicle (see below)says it all.

It was the most magnificent community effort , uniting all ages and every skillimaginable and made me really proud to belong to such a generous-hearted andcreative town.

Margaret Harris

Harvey Brough: Ona's FloodA new suite of song texts performed in a Wiltshire tithe barn by aninexperienced community choir and a group of schoolchildren? Why shouldyou be interested? Even when it is played as a companion piece to BenjaminBritten's famous Noye's Fludde.

But when the composer is Harvey Brough (remember Harvey and theWallbangers?), when the theme of Noah's Flood is updated to reflect theeffects of global warming, and when the compelling music and powerfulmessage bring tears to eyes of the singers as well as the audience, maybe it'stime to sit up and take notice.

I can only speak from the inside. I was one of the amateur singers whokept missing notes because of the lump in my throat, despite the familiarity ofrehearsal. We played the part of a coach party, awed by the sight of a villagedrowned in a reservoir, overcome by the thought that climate change couldsoon produce many such villages, squabbling over whether such climatechange is real – all to the driving beat of an upwelling, soul-wrenching score.

Music can convey a message that words alone cannot. As a scientist, I havebeen working to get the message of Ona's Flood over to government officialsand the public for some time. Here, the music drives it home, in a way thatswings between the gut-tearing and the uplifting. It certainly lifted us as achoir, and the effect on the audience seemed electric. Unfamiliar music and acontroversial theme seldom make quite such an impression. If the thoughtfullooks and animated conversation of the audience as they left are anything togo by, it is an impression that will last. If you ever get the chance to hear arepeat performance (not necessarily by us), don't miss it.

Len Fisher

Bath Chronicle, 16th July. Reprinted with permission of the author.

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The Archbishop of Canterburycommented recently that hisshort time in Durham had

“reinforced in me that the real frontline of the Church is the localchurch, the parish church”. As he isnow enthroned in Canterbury, it istimely to consider the mission ofparish churches, and to ask whethertheir growth is the priority. It wascertainly the priority when DrWilliams was Archbishop: early in histime, the report Mission-ShapedChurch (Church House Publishing,2004) was proving hugely popular,with its attractive vision of a mixedeconomy of church life, in which thenation would be invited back tochurch in a variety of ways. Nearlyten years later, however, it is clearthat church attendance has notincreased. Research by Church Houseon average attendance at C of ESunday services, issued last year,suggests that average attendancecontinues to fall, as has averageattendance each week, although thenumber of weddings has gone up.

One response was summed upbluntly by a churchwarden: “Theywon't come to us; so we must go tothem.” In line with this, his church hasset up a series of after-school clubs –not in church, but in two schools, andhas invited children to come along forgames, crafts, and a ‘circle time’ with athought and a prayer. They haveproved to be popular, and there arenow after-school clubs on four days ofthe week, with a mothers-and-toddlersgroup on the fifth. The clubs haveresulted in some children and theirparents coming to the Sunday service,but the point is not to generatesupport for the church, but to give thechildren fun, and an opportunity toconnect with God. The adult helpersalso find them enriching.

The curate who set up the clubsalso initiated a weekly eucharist at acare home, drawing in another team ofhelpers for what has become thesecond-largest congregation in theparish each week. Again, the point wasnot to create a feeder for Sundaychurch, but simply to provide a point in

NOT NUMBERS ON SUNDAY, BUT COMMUNITY IMPACT

21

the week when the residents andothers could connect with God and oneanother. The helpers have describedthese services not as a chore, but as asource of real blessing.

Over the past few decades,academic theology has beenemphasising how the mission of God isin the world beyond the Church. As Ihave come to know our parish, thepenny has dropped that I amwitnessing this very principle: churchpeople encountering God's savingpurposes as much outside the walls ofthe church as within it, finding hispresence and grace in the children ofthe clubs, and in the residents of thecare home, and in ways that areinspiring for their own discipleship.

This insight also puts baptisms,weddings, and funerals in a differentlight. Most who come for these do notreturn to church the following Sunday,and it has been easy to regard theseoffices as failed attempts to attractnew families into the regularcongregation. Now, though, they canbe seen differently, as God‐givenopportunities to help all kinds ofpeople connect with God at turning-points in their lives. Here are couples,parents of babies, and relatives of thedeceased, who do not have anythingto do with regular church life, but whoapproach the clergy because of what ishappening in their lives. Such officesprovide a precious opportunity to helpthese people recognise and respond tothe presence of God.

All of this encourages a differentvision of mission. No longer is it seenas all about increasing the size of theregular congregation. Somethingbigger and less quantifiable becomesthe aim – a change not within thechurch so much as within the widercommunity. Church history provides anumber of antecedents, one of whichis the work of the German pastor andtheologian Friedrich Schleiermacher,who was active in Berlin at the end ofthe 18�� and the beginning of the 19��century. He sought to reawakeninterest in the Christian faith amonghis contemporaries, who wereincreasingly dismissive of the Church,and whom he described as “cultureddespisers of religion”.

Schleiermacher did not begin bytrying to woo these people back tochurch through new kinds of service orsocial activities. Instead, he engagedthem in a dialogue, in which he drewattention to an aspect of their humannature which was not addressed byscience or philosophy: the domain offeeling, or, more accurately, inner self-consciousness (Gefühl), and especiallythe “consciousness of absolutedependence”. The Christian faith, heargued, allowed a fulfilling response tothis universal dimension of life.

Whether or not this is the kind oflanguage we would use today, it pointsto a type of mission found in manyplaces, which seeks to awaken anawareness of the presence of Godwithin the

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community, and to encourage peopleto respond to it. God's mission isalready at work in the world, bringinghis people back to his love, forgiveness,and peace; the Church, through its laypeople and clergy, can encouragepersonal response to this through itspastoral ministry, sacraments, andteaching.

This vision of mission has some bigimplications. It changes the primaryaim of the regular congregation fromthat of trying to make itself bigger tobeing an agent of the salvation of thewider community. This has the furtherimplication that the health of thatchurch will not be measured by itsstatistical size, but by assessment of itsimpact on the wider community. This,of course, is hard to measure. Suchassessment would, however, involvelooking at the whole way in which achurch, through its congregation andall its interactions with the community,through home-life and work, as well as

Sunday services, helps the widerpopulation to connect with God, theGod who is already within them.

Some might say that this loss offocus on church growth will imperil theparish system, which is under threat.One response would be that aiming forchurch growth itself is not going tosave the parish system, because thewider population have generally lostinterest in coming to church. Whatdoes appeal to them, however – andwould, as a by- product, draw manyinto the life of our churches – is theirdiscovery, or rediscovery, that God iswith them, and will transform theirlives, if they only give him theopportunity to do so.

The Revd Dr Stephen Spencer,Vicar of Brighouse and Clifton in

the diocese of Wakefield.

Published in the Church Times, 22nd

March, 2013.

My General Synod HellIn a recent article, Dr Giles Fraser – the Guardian’s ‘Loose Canon’ – Iikensthe General Synod to Dante's vision of hell. In describing the use of codelanguage at Synod, he explains:

You have to use the word ‘mission’ a lot (a word so general it has come to beall but meaningless) and talk about ‘fellowship’ – the Christian word forfriendship – happening in the bar, which mostly consists of gossip and gentlebitching about the opposition.

The Guardian, July 11th 2013

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On a warm summer evening,twenty one people attendedthe BACT meeting held at St

Nicholas Church Hall, Winsley, onJuly 8��. Wendy Brown (Secretary,Christ Church) opened the meetingwith a minute’s silence to rememberAmbrose Stickney who passed awaylast month. There followed a readingfrom 1 Timothy, chapter 2.

After apologies and approval of theminutes of the last meeting, mattersarising related to the excellentChristian Aid door-to-door collectionof £7,410. David Driscoll (HT) andHarry Wishart (United Church) arelooking into collecting outsidesupermarkets as the opportunityarose.

The Chairman, David Driscoll, alsocommented on all that weremembered of the huge amount ofwork that Ambrose had done forBACT and for our town and thatAmbrose's funeral was well attended.Tom McMeakin (United Church) isretiring in September, so this wouldbe his last BACT meeting. He willcontinue to live in the area.

The Treasurer, Alison Wells (StNicholas, Winsley), had written tochurch treasurers for their annualBACT subscriptions, and responseswere coming in. Alison continues tobe in a handing-over process from

Reg Green who retiredfrom the position this year.

Harvest Lunch 2013. The organizingcommittee determined that the bestdate for the Harvest Lunch this yearwas Saturday 28�� September. Thiswas mainly due to the extremepressure the committee were underlast year when the lunch was heldon  a  Sunday  and  great  difficulty  wasexperienced in juggling time forchurch, setting up, running, clearingaway and cleaning, and in somecases returning to church in theevening. Owing to the unavailabilityof St Margaret's Hall, the BACTHarvest Lunch will be held in therestaurant of St Laurence School at12.00 noon for 12.30pm and will becatered for 150 people. Tickets thisyear will be £8 each, children under8 at half price. This is only thesecond time that an all-churches(BACT) Harvest Lunch has beenorganised, so the organisingcommittee will continue to considervarious  options  to  find  the  bestformat of time and place etc.

Evangelism and Nurture. BACT'sguest speaker, Michelle Riley, gave avery interesting presentation on ‘Thechurch's ministry to children andyoung people’. Michelle believes thatall young people need at least toknow about

(Continued on page 24)

Bradford on Avon Churches TogetherMeeting on 8th July, 2013

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Jesus and from this starting pointcan make their own decisions aboutthe path they wish to take. Shebelieves that it is our responsibilityto ensure that they have therequired information to make thisdecision,  and  that  we must  find  outif young people have any problemsin this respect, and if so, how tosolve them. There followed a livelydiscussion during which many validpoints were raised.

Churches Street RepresentativeScheme. Discussion on this subjectwas postponed until a subsequentBACT meeting because of analready busy agenda.

Lent Course – 2014. Feedback isinvited as to the preferred formatfor the 2014 BACT Lent Course. Thisfeedback, or any suggestions, maycome from previous participants orfrom any interested church member.Please contact David Driscoll orWendy Brown.

BACT Web site. Many thanks toMary Gaisford (St Thomas More) forvolunteering her son James to setup a long-needed BACT web site.We shall now need a working group(names of those interested to DavidDriscoll please) to decide what BACTneeds to display on the web site.For example, logo, colour scheme,list of pages and their content,

keeping the web site up to date.

Other Business.

Christian Aid need your unwantedbooks, to be collected at the UnitedChurch.  Non‐fiction  and  books  withbar codes on the back cover arepreferred. No old books or paper-back  fiction  please  as  these  havelittle value.

One World Week: 20-27�� Oct,2013. It would be good to have acombined service this year, as in thepast. Church leaders to discuss andarrange.

Proposed visit of dancers anddrummers from Bethlehem. DuringOne World Week BoA Friends ofPalestine (BOAFP) are facilitating avisit by 20 young people, aged 14 to16, to perform a fund-raising concertat the Wiltshire Music Centre. It ishoped that parents of children at StAugustine's School in Trowbridgewill be able to billet the visitingchildren. Any queries to JudithHammond, 868195.

The next BACT meeting will be onMonday 30�� September at 7.30pm.at the Lambert Centre, BoA. All arewelcome. Please contact me if youwould like a lift.

David Rawstron

A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.Washington Irving

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The mad rush for Glastonburytickets starts every year on aSunday in October. I'm not near

a computer at that time so I did notexpect to attend this year. Then anextraordinary thing happened. Afriend of mine, Alison, has parentswho live in thefree-ticket zonearound WorthyFarm. Theirneighbourwanted to sellher ticket andso it came tome in exchangefor the usual£205. Thisvillage ticketmeant access to the car park nearestto the site and free access throughthe roads of Pilton, a real bonuswhen carrying tents and campinggear. So Wednesday came and by9.30am  I  was  in  the  field  organisingtent and bedding with Alison andchecking out the new long-droptoilets!

Wednesday 26�� June was also theday when I would know if the UKBorders Agency had granted a visa formy daughter Kate's father to travel tothe UK for her graduation. At 11.30ammy mobile phone rang and it was a callfrom Dar es Salaam telling me that thevisa was granted and he would arrive onMonday morning after the festival!

My first whole day, Friday, began atthe Pyramid stage with an African band.

They always put the Africans on in themorning and their audience is mostlythe grey haired who have lived in Africa.The youngsters are sleeping off thenight before! The afternoon was spentwandering the green fields, the healingfield, the craft field, the green futures

field, croissantneuf andSacred spaceat the top ofthe site. Alsochecking outthe foodoutlets…would theGoan fishcurry still bethere and

what about the Dorset soup stall? I waspleased to see both deliciouspossibilities and had meals at each ofthem during the weekend. The majorcorporate chains are not allowed intoGlastonbury and the emphasis is onlocally sourced food, local producersand community groups raising moneyby burger and chip camp kitchens. Allpackaging is recyclable; there is noplastic – all cutlery is wooden. Lovelyfarm-fresh ice cream did a roaring tradeas the weather turned kind and we allbasked in the sun.

There was also the usual discussionabout the programme. SineadO'Connor on the Acoustic stage clashedwith Shazia Mirza in the Cabaret tentwhere the comedians perform.Constant

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GLASTONBURY 2013

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choices to be made! I was very pleasedto see that Jeremy Hardy, the Radio 4comedian, was performing on Saturdayat 5pm...half an hour of political satire.He was in the field prior to the concertsitting on the grass with his Goan fishcurry so when he got up to dispose ofhis plate I told him he was my high pointof Glastonbury. “Bless You”, he said.

There is a real trend for dressing upat Glastonbury. There were severalgroups of men dressed in oneses (adultromper suits!) I came across one groupin bright green oneses with matchingboots and helmets and another dayanother group clad wholly in orange.Many women wander round withflowers in their hair. Another favouritearea for me is Bella’s field. It contains anoutdoor trapeze area, a circus big topand masses of wandering street-theatreacts. This year I saw a Scotsman onstilts with a dog. He played thebagpipes and if you got friendly with hisdog it cocked its leg on you. Other stiltcharacters were dressed as bees. Twovery bosomy women were dressed astraditional stereotypical Girl Guideleaders and were going round handingout good camper stickers; when I toldthem I had been a real Guide leader Igot a sticker!!

On Friday night I chose SineadO'Connor at 21.30pm in the Acoustictent. While she was singing, in walkedfour Turkish men in pointy turbans –whirling dervishes from the Sufitradition of Islam –only atGlastonbury…! Earlier in the craft tent Ihad come across five Buddhist monkstwo of whom were making a mandala,

an elaborate pattern depicting mythicthemes of life’s ever turning circle, withcoloured sand. This craft takes hugeconcentration and focus and the BBCwere there to film and interview. Theirreligious hats were even more dramaticthan those of the Sufis! I wish I were aphotographer and could show you thepurple curly helmets! Spirituality plays abig part at Glastonbury. The vicar ofGlastonbury blessed the festival onThursday evening at the openingceremony and on Sunday the Rector ofPilton did 15 minutes on the mainPyramid stage. He spoke of the spirit ofthe festival and how, for a globaltelevised event, the Googles, Amazonsand Nikes of the world would pay overthe odds for a banner but what do yousee? – Oxfam, WaterAid andGreenpeace. He gave us a blessing aswe prepared to leave: “Go out and workin the name of God and Justice”.

Late on Friday night I was at theArcadia stage for the gigantic laser-blasting, flame‐throwing sculptures. Itbegan with the Lords of Lightning, twoperformance artists playing with 4million volts of electricity during theiract. One man in blue and another in redstood on high podiums with electricitysparking out of hands and heads. Asthey turned to face each other a hugecharge ran between their hands. Then agiant spider made of reclaimedCustoms and Excise scanning machines,3 cranes and 7 jet engines began todisgorge fire with loud booms: all verysurreal. After my whole Fridaywandering the site my hips and kneeswere well exercised so it was into bed

27

with ear plugs drifting off to disco musicsomewhere on the site while the younggot ready to dance, drink and makemerry.

On Saturday I was down at thePyramid stage for the African starter.Rokia Traore, a Malian woman wowedus all. On the front rail were severalpeople reserving their places for theRolling Stones concert for 9.30pm thatnight. They would stay there all day anddrink only the water the security peoplehanded out and there would be no visitsto the loo otherwise their places wouldbe gone! The security guards were aninteresting group. I spoke to two menstanding gazing out into the crowd.They form a guard 16 strong along thefront rail. Nearly all were in the armedforces. They had leave for this event andsome had brought family to enjoy themusic along with all the punters. I gottalking to one man who had seenservice in Bosnia Kosovo, Nepalrecruiting for the Ghurkhas, Iraq andAfghanistan for three tours. Wediscussed development, living in othercultures, peace keeping and the toughlife. “Well,” he said, “I never thought tohave this conversation at Glastonbury.” Iwish I had told him how we rememberthem in our prayers regularly.

Then Saturday evening arrived andthe Stones did us proud. A third of theway back from the stage I barely sawthe screens let alone the stage but theatmosphere was electric and the crowdsang along to every number. I waited atthe end of the performance for the fieldto clear because I needed to walk in the

opposite direction to everyone else. Ayoung couple came towards me and theyoung man held out his arms and said“You are so beautiful”. I was takenaback; no-one has ever said that to meand suddenly at 66 this lovelyaffirmation.

On Sunday Bassekou Kouyaté wasson the Pyramid stage. I stayed on forFirst Aid Kit, a pair of Swedish sistersand then followed Rufus Wainwright,son of Loudon Wainwright 3�� and sisterof Martha Wainwright, all singers in thecountry and western tradition. Time topack up the car and clear my space.Returning to the site I found the NorthAfrican stall selling mezze, a mixture ofvery delicious vegetarian dishes basedon chickpeas and rice served with flatbread. I visited the circus in theafternoon for a very dramaticperformance and then time for mypersonal favourite of the weekend. SethLakeman plays the violin and I haveseen him several times at the VillagePump at Stowford in Wingfield. He’svery dishy – I pretend I'm 19 again!! Igot to stand on the front row in theAcoustic stage and the amplification ofthe furious playing resonated in mybones and tissue.

So time to leave once more, to returnto the so-called real world but soinspired and uplifted by the spirit of theplace and the people. I stepped out ofthe exit, walked towards the road and atthe cross roads the security guardturned and looked at me “You are sobeautiful” he said!

Judith Holland

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Diary of a Boat Cat: part 2Dear ReadersAs you may remember from last monthmy ‘owners’ had catnapped me to spendthe whole of July on their narrow boat.And despite several attempts I had notbeen able to escape. So my plan hasbeen to wake them up in the middle ofeach night until they take me homeagain.

One day the boat was moored with a lotof others in a marina and I was bundled intoa car and driven home. You can imagine myjoy! My plan had worked and now I couldspend the rest of the summer back homecoming and going as I pleased (and not on alead)! Unfortunately my joy was short livedas less than a week later I was bundled back into the car and driven backto the boat. It turns out my ‘owners’ had had various appointments and avery important church Street Market to attend. And it looks as though Ishall be on this boat until the end of September on account of the lovelyweather we are having. Though it is so hot we are only moving first thingin the morning and then staying put for the rest of the day.

Still I suppose life is not too bad. I get to see lots of different countrysideas we seem to moor up mainly outside of towns, except for Stratford onAvon and Birmingham. So there is always plenty of grass around and if itis long enough I can hide from all the other towpath users, such aswalkers, cyclists and d*g walkers. And when the boat goes along I amallowed to sit on the roof (with my harness on of course!) and see what isgoing on. However when things called locks appear I have to be bundledinside. Not quite sure what they are but either everything goes dark andthen eventually light or the other way around. Apparently they help theboat go up and down. All I know is that if there are a lot of them theyexhaust my ‘owners’ and lead to one or two heated exchanges at times.

Perhaps I should encourage them to do more and then we may behome sooner than planned! Meanwhile we are boating aroundStaffordshire having done the Caldon canal and now heading for theMacclesfield and Peak Forest canals. And there is even talk of going homefor a long weekend soon. Must continue my night time mischief inearnest!!

Jacks

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A SIMPLIFIED HISTORY (WITH OBSERVATIONS)OF THE LAND OF THE BIBLE FROM 8500 BC TO 6 AD

Part 1: 8500 to ca. 1400BC

As a result of a recent quasi-academic six-week cruisewhich my wife and I have

enjoyed in the Levant, Black Seaand the Classical World of Egypt,Greece and Rome, my horizons andperspective in recorded history ofthe  area  have  increased  five‐fold.  Inparticular, I now fully realize howthe history of the Land of the Biblecan be so confused by legends, oralhistories, and religious texts. As apersonal exercise, I thereforedecided that it would help me if Icould strip out all those aspects andtry and set out the history of thatland (as I understand it), on thebasis only of the researches ofhistorians and current archaeologicalknowledge. I thought I might sharethe result with readers of ParishNews. The period I have chosen forthis exercise is deliberate, ie. thehistory up to the time of the birthof Jesus of Nazareth. I must recordhere that I have drawn heavily fromthe references given at the end ofthis article which is to be publishedin three instalments. I owe a debt tomy wife for her archaeologicalinsights into this subject. I have alsostudied several interesting mapswhich help to stitch events together,and to which I refer at appropriatepoints in the text.

First, I think it is very important toset out the geographical position ofthe core Holy Land. Judah (thesouthern part) and Israel (the northernpart) together only constituted an areaof about 130 miles long by 60 mileswide, although for some of the timeIsrael’s military conquests extended itscontrol over a wider area intoTransjordan and the southern part ofSyria. Until the end of the 11�� centuryBC, those two States did not exist; theland was called Canaan and its settledpeople were called ‘Canaanites’throughout the Levant. The wanderingnomads in Canaan (after 2400BC)were called ‘Habiru’, which wastransmuted to ‘Hebrews’ by the 13��century BC. This same strip of landconstituted a vital land bridgebetween the three continents ofAfrica, Asia and Europe, and it paid themilitary price for that geographicalposition. Judah/Israel had no naturalharbours of their own on theMediterranean Sea – the Great Sea asit was known – and they had to rely onaccess to the ports of Tyre and Sidonin Phoenicia (which were sometimes inhostile hands) until Herod the Greatbuilt the port of Caesarea late in the 1��century BC. It was not a particularlyprosperous and fertile land, but it wasa route of passage for so many armies,between the lands of Egypt, Nubia andPunt to the

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South, and the lands to the North ofthe Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians,Persians, Greeks and Romans, whichthey held in their own particular periodof military ascendancy. There werealso important trade routes wherethose armies marched, and fromacross the Arabian deserts, bringingspices, silks, jewels, ivory, wine, oliveoil, cedar wood, slaves and exoticanimals. In addition, throughDamascus (a nodal point of traderoutes), the caravans from far offAsian countries would come. Thisroute of passage was also a channelfor ideas, cultural and religious.

Along the whole coast ofJudah/Israel runs a fairly fertile plain,

and on its eastern side there is a spineof hills of medium height runningsouth to north. These hills formed agrey and wild country, yet Jerusalemsits in the middle of these hills, likeHebron, Bethlehem and Bethel, placeswhere good water is to be found. Inthe north these hills rise to a curve ofmountains, starting from MountCarmel on the sea coast and curving intwo ranges as far as Damascus to thenorth east. Along the eastern side ofthose hills lies the long fertile valley ofthe River Jordan, flowing north tosouth, with the Sea of Galilee at itsnorthern end and the Dead Sea at itssouthern end. In ancient times the Seaof Galilee had a different name – the

Map 1. The Near East 2000-1200 BC

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Sea of Chinnereth. Israel (but notJudah) also at times extended east ofthe Jordan to encompass the town ofRamoth Gilead and its surroundingsteppes lands. A final important point.Where those grey hills met the twinranges of mountains, the Pass ofMegiddo was the only major passbetween the coastal plain and Syria. Itwas thus a strategic point, fought overby many armies, a partial explanationas to why Israel was so often invaded.

Archaeologists have establishedthat Canaan had been continuallyoccupied by humans since ca. 8500 BC,initially by Neolithic hunter-gatherers,and these people later started to makesettlements around the sites of goodspring water. They first built light,transportable shelters and laterdeveloped more substantial andpermanent mud-brick structures. Thedevelopment of plants (particularlythose for grain) and domesticatedanimals began then, and clearsettlements came into being (Jericho isdated at 7000 BC). By about 4500 BCcopper was being mined in the desertareas, and copper artefacts were beingproduced by skilled artisans.

Ca. 3300 BC the world came toCanaan. Literate urban civilizationshad developed in Egypt, Syria andMesopotamia, and many trade routesopened up between them. Some ofthose routes ran through Canaan. Theideas and concepts that came withthose trade routes also stimulated thegrowth of similar (but more modest)

urban structures in Canaan, particularlyalongside these trade routes and inlocations with good natural resources.However, there were still nomads andpastoralists in Canaan's more marginalland. By 2900 BC Canaan had enteredthe Bronze Age, giving rise to acomplete shift in the nature of itssettlements. Many developed strongdefensive fortifications, withbureaucratic organization of labour,irrigation projects, public buildings,specialized artisans and traders; socialstrata levels can be clearly seen fromthe position and type of housing in thesettlements. The previous subsistencefarming changed to productivefarming, with surpluses for trading.Egypt was the main market – grain,wine and olive oil. More importantbuildings were now being built in stoneand town planning is evident. Potterywas now produced locally, as well asbeing imported, and bronze tools werein use. All this continued anddeveloped through to ca. 2400 BC, andit is clear from the archaeologicalevidence that small-scale militaryconflicts occurred between thesesettlements, perhaps over trade rightsor land disputes. No cleararchaeological evidence has beenfound to establish the religiousconcepts of these people, but theremains of shrines have been found.

Between 2400 BC and 2000 BC theEgyptian Old Kingdom collapsed, andCanaan's trade fortunes with it. Apartfrom a small

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trade in the north of Canaan withSyria, Canaan's economic livelihoodwas swept away and replaced byausterity living, subsistence farmingagain, and pastoralism. A largeproportion of the population movedout of Canaan to Transjordan andSyria, and many of Canaan'ssettlements were abandoned. If thereis any truth in the biblical tale of thenomad Abram arriving in Canaan withhis extended family and flocks ofanimals, this would be the period of hisarrival from Ur in the Tigris/Euphratesbasin, for there would have been muchempty land in Canaan. Whether hisdescendants flourished and foundedthe Twelve Tribes is very hard to prove.It would have been a far more naturalprocess for other extended families ofnomads to enter Canaan at about thesame time for the same economicreasons, and also settle. However, itwould have been a natural processover the next few centuries for thosenomads to coalesce into a number oftribes, perhaps with the namesascribed to them in the Bible. On anEgyptian Middle Kingdom stele foundin Thebes, the geographical name‘Ysyrial’ appears and clearly refers tothe land of the Habiru. These Habirutribes may well have brought themonotheistic worship of Yahweh intothe area as the Bible implies, tocompete later with the worship of ‘El’and his Pantheon of Gods.

A general map of the Near East ca.2000 BC can be seen in Map 1. About

this time the Egyptian Middle Kingdomarose out of the ashes of the OldKingdom, and once again the healthyeconomic effect of that on Canaanbrought new prosperity. Trade routeswere revived, Canaanites returnedfrom Transjordan and rebuilt theirsettlements, with all the order,stability, and quality of life that flowedfrom this. These settlements allowedthe restarting of irrigation projects andproductive farming with surplus fortrade, the raising of building standards,and the emergence of artisans withtheir specialist skills; however, theHabiru maintained their pastoral wayof life. Then there was an interestingdevelopment ca. 1750 BC, when someCanaanites moved into the Nile Deltaand took political control there,establishing a city called Avaris with amonarchy. The Egyptian Dynastybased in Thebes called theseinterlopers the ‘Hyksos’. About 1550BC the Egyptian Dynasty becamedetermined to oust these Hyksos fromthe Delta, which they did by asuccessful military campaign,continuing to chase the Hyksosnorthwards through Canaan. Throughthis military action, the Egyptiansestablished an Overlordship of theLevant, stretching from Ugarit in theNorth to the Sinai Peninsula in theSouth (see Map 2). This Egyptiancontrol lasted until ca. 1200 BC;Egyptian District Governors wereinstalled, there were garrisons ofEgyptian troops strategically placed,

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forts were built for them, andtaxes and services weredemanded of the Canaanites.

By now, many of theCanaanite settlements hadbecome little fortified city‐kingdoms, often at odds witheach other, but the Egyptianswere content to let them be, aslong as their kings acknowledgedEgyptian suzerainty; likewise, theEgyptians did not interfere withCanaanite religious practices,which had become far moreformalized. Archaeologists havefound ‘migdol’ (fortress) templesall over Canaan and Syria, whichwere built during this period. Therelated artefacts and monumentsshow that the worship of ‘El’ (Lord)and his Pantheon of lesser gods hadbecome very prevalent, probably as aresult of a Phoenician influence. El isdepicted in sculptures as an elderlyGod who is aloof, wise, benevolent,and compassionate. His consort was‘Asherah’: she bore him 70 divine sonsand was considered to be the ‘Tree ofLife’. ‘Baal’ was the eldest son of El andwielded the royal power and authorityof El; he is depicted as a warrior calledthe ‘Prince and Rider of Clouds’, as wellas being a Storm God and the bringerof rain and fertility. Baal's spouse was‘Anot’ who was a Goddess of War andLove. Moloch was the Sun God. TheGoddess ‘Astarte’ was also responsiblefor fertility and for upholding law andjustice. There were also numerous

secondary Gods. Archaeologicalevidence strongly suggests that theworship of both Baal and Molochinvolved the sacrifice of children.

Alan Knight

Parts 2 and 3 to follow…

Map 2. Egyp�an overlordship in the Levant,1550-1200 BC.

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THE REVD DAVID HARKNETT– MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

David Harknett has been on our prayer list because, as a priest in thisdiocese (Team Vicar in the Melbury Team Ministry, living at CorscombeVicarage), we were all asked to pray for him. So on 18�� April, Joannareceived this message from the Diocesan Secretary, David having beenvisited by Bishop Nicholas and the local clergy:

I am very sorry to tell you that the Revd David Harknett is very seriously illand is not likely to live for very much longer. Please pray for him, his wifeVicky and their young family.

Then on 21st May a further message came:The Diocesan office had a surprise phone call from David Harknett thisweek. How wonderful to hear his cheery voice again. A miracle. He wishesto say a big thank you to all of us for our prayers. He is making progress buthe must be patient. Please continue to pray for him, his family and themedical team taking good care of him.

David's own words explain:

I was admitted to Dorchester Hospital on Tuesday 16th April this year with avirulent form of the bacterial infection Streptococcal Aureus whichrampaged through my joints. Septicaemia was one consequence, multipleorgan failure, the other. I was dying, to put it bluntly. But, thankfully, thismedical language did not subsequently become a paragraph on a certificateunder the heading ‘Cause of Death’ – it became part of a long, slow andpainful adventure, because I was also dying to live. Which is where yourlove and prayers come in.

Amazingly David is now back home and recovering – walking withoutsupport but with a crutch, just in case. (He is still off work!) A final word fromhim:

I have to say, my daily confidence is in a certain future purchased for me byChrist Jesus. I have become more convinced in these last years that the onlything that really matters is securing that confidence while we have the time.

Further interesting reading (and regular updates), including a piece byDavid's wife, Vicky, from the perspective of a vicar's wife coping witheverything (not forgetting three young children!) can be found on the followingweb site:

http://melburyteam.wordpress.com/about/david-harknett/Supplied by Ann Holland from the Melbury Team web-site

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End of YearThe school year ends with the theme of Wider Horizons, which we haveconsidered in our Collective Worships and in tutorials. Many ideas haveemerged, from youth to age, from staying in one place to travelling, toexpanding your mind and ideas. Now, of course, it is about the chance toreplenish and enjoy the wider horizons of our holiday time so that we mayreturn in September with pencils sharpened and minds refreshed.

In term 6, we have also had our main annual events for the whole school,namely the sponsored walk and our sports day. Both were blessed withexcellent weather, which until very recently, was felt to be unusual. Thesponsored walk took place on 28�� June and all members of the schoolcommunity walked through some of our lovely local countryside to raisemoney towards a canopy over the outside waiting area for the schoolrestaurant. It will be our third canopy over outside areas and has made a hugedifference to the students at break and lunchtime, providing shelter in the rainand shade in the sun. Sports Day on 21�� June was a very enjoyable event inwhich as many students as possible participated and competition betweenschool houses is used positively to engender a whole school communityfeeling, with lots of singing and cheering as a result. The culmination of thehouse competition for the year will be announced at the end of schoolassembly on 24�� July.

Spiritual DevelopmentThere has been much that term 6 has brought to allow our students tohave opportunities for their human spirit to be nourished – especially inthe last week or two. Many of our pupils were involved in Noye’s Floodand Ona's Flood at the Tithe Barn, both allowing thoughts about humanityand the world to emerge. On Wednesday 17�� July, we had our summerconcert in Holy Trinity in which 102 of our pupils were involved, singingand playing. Students involved in Duke of Edinburgh Award were out inthe countryside on 13�� and 14�� July.

There was also Breathing Space. A classroom was put aside for the last weekof term for students to book in and take some time to reflect and contemplate.There were five activities to help them focus their thoughts and allow space forthem to be. Firstly, there was a thankful box, containing

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pictures of the landscape and nature, particularly Britain. There was a colour-changing bubble tower and music. There were two mirrors, one for individualsto think about themselves and one for acknowledging the love of God. Therewas a DVD about the vastness of space and the insignificance of the Earth andhumanity, yet we are amazing. And finally, a map of the world with somestimulating articles about current affairs attached. To all of these studentscould, but were not obliged to, respond in writing or drawing.

The response to this idea has been overwhelming. Over 200 studentsvisited the room and many more wanted to but could not get in. Many wroteof love, of family and friends and of the world. Many said ‘thank you’ for hope,for second chances, for education, for special times with grandparents andparents. Many said ‘thank you’ for being alive. Many expressed hopes andprayers that the world could be better, that they could make a difference, andquestioned the ways things are. All in all, they showed that young people,when given the chance to speak, are sensitive and hopeful and vulnerable, butalso resilient and clever and determined. Students were keen to have thechance to do this permanently and though this may not be possible, it iscertain that students benefited from it and is something that will happen againat some point next year.

There is a new page on the school web site especially for spirituality. It is onthe second page under Other Information. It is well worth a look as it tries to tiein what this means in a school context and mentions the links we have with thechurch in Bradford on Avon.

LeavingEvery year, there are teachers who leave and in September, new teachersarrive. Thus a school moves on and changes. But I would just like torecord here the retirement of Cathy Cooper, who has been at the schoolfor nearly 40 years. She has been a stalwart in organizing CollectiveWorship and looking after the well-being of students in the school. Shehas been kind, considerate and thoroughly decent in all her work and hercharacter and I shall miss her.

Mrs Lorraine MarlowBe Spirited Co-Ordinator

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Jarvey's Jazz and Cream Teasat Kingston Place

Jazz standards are an important part of the musicalrepertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widelyknown, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians. On the 14�� July, in thelovely gardens of Kingston Place, Jarvey's Jazz treated us to a feast of JazzStandards including: All the things you are, Autumn leaves, Body and Soul, OnGreen Dolphin Street and others, with some that merged into blues and pop.

Long after the days of taking afternoon tea at the Ritz and of Tea Dances withan enchanting palm-court ensemble barely visible behind the potted palms, BBCRadio popularized palm-court music, making it ‘accessible to the masses throughregular afternoon broadcasts. During the interval at Kingston Place, and much tothe delight of over 200 townsfolk and visitors, we were treated to Simon Arnold'sown rendering of palm-court music when he took over the piano and entertainedus with his own repertoire. He started off withGeorgia on my mind and endedwith A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square. Thank you Simon – greatlyappreciated!

Three other ‘bands’ were also very active during the afternoon, one creatingexcellent cream teas made with fresh scones, west-country clotted cream andsome rather superb strawberry jam. Another band of helpers braved the summersunshine from 2 to 5pm greeting the paying guests and collecting money at thegate. The third band were sheltered in the Summer House and made an excellentjob of selling raffle tickets.

In this beautiful place by the riverside, shaded by the trees and to the sound ofthe rippling streams and refreshing waterfalls it was the coolest place in Bradfordon Avon to spend an afternoon. We had many compliments from people sayinghow much they had enjoyed themselves and one suggestion that if we have asimilar event perhaps we should have a champagne tent. They had especiallyenjoyed the display by the Bradford on Avon Rowing Club which had been puttogether by Jim and Janet Brown and family.

Our grateful thanks to Mrs O'Kane and her family for being such wonderfulhosts and to Lady Jean Maitland for drawing the raffle.

Finally, we managed to raise over £600 for the Friends of Holy Trinity and wereable to pass on £100, as a share of the proceeds, to the Save the Children Fund.

Tony HaffendenFriends of Holy Trinity

FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY

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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin,WESTWOOD

ANNUAL CHURCH FÊTE – SATURDAY, JULY 13TH.

Better weather could not havebeen ordered for this event, andthe many happy visitors to the

Westwood church fete all recalled justhow damp and cold it was last year asthey walked round the Manor groundsin minimal summer wear, completewith sunglasses and hats. The fête is atypical  English  village  affair  with  all  theusual stalls – bric-à-brac, books, cakes,tombola, toys etc., and most of theseattracted  a  constant  flow  of  visitors,the actual purchasers amongst whomall seemed very pleased with their newpossessions.

Joanna was kept busy, on this very hotday speaking with church members of thenew Benefice but still managed to pick upone or two items for herself. It wasinteresting to see a few of the unsoldHoly Trinity bric-à-brac items being recycled at Westwood, but even moreinteresting was the little stall on the left which was selling new and nearly newitems which had been carefully selected from the bric-à-brac donations. Thesewere attractively set out on a piece of mauve velvet and seemed to be fetchingsome quite good prices.

A couple of new ‘games of chance’ had also cropped up since last year's fête,and these included ‘Flip the Frog’ and a well-run Hoopla stall with excellent prizesfor young and old. These attractions were accompanied by the ubiquitous skittlealley and a coconut shy where there seemed to be more laughter being handedout than prizes!

It was a great day for St Mary, Westwood, and I wondered if there might beroom for some of these very child friendly attractions in Westbury Gardens nextyear?

Text and photos by David Rawstron

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ST BENEDICT AND THE PLACE OF PRAYERIN DAILY LIFE

Led by Fr Dermot Tredget, Douai Abbey, Berkshire 5th October (10am -4.30pm) at the Old Bakery Freshford

Dermot Tredget is very knowledgeable on the life and spirituality of StBenedict, the founder of Western Monasticism. As well as talking about hislife and teaching, Dermot will help us to see how Benedictine spirituality canhelp us in our prayers and daily living. There will be time for reflection andquiet between Dermot’s talks. If you would like to come to the day, please contact Karl Wiggins (01225867007), David Driscoll (01225 865314) or Judith Holland (01225 866215).

David Driscoll

PAUL'S LEGACY–– is the title of Richard and Margaret Askew's 2014 pilgrimage. With

co-leader Revd Selina Deacon (Rector of St John's, Upper Studley) weshall be leading a party of 30 plus to Turkey to trace the impact ofPaul's dynamic life andteaching. Amongst other placeswe visit Ephesus and Miletusand then travel north toPergamom, Assos, Troy,Gallipoli  and  finally  Istanbul.Here we shall see all the sightsand cruise the Bosphorous. Wehope also to visit the FlorenceNightingale Museum at Scutari.

Twelve days (28�� April to 9��May inclusive), all-in price £1845. McCabe Pilgrimages will be our agents.For full brochure and more information ring 01225 863350 or e-mailmargaret.askew@gmail.com

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THE SUDAN CHURCH ASSOCIATIONPostcard update for the year ending 30th June, 2013

The sum of £11,550 was passed to the Treasurer during the last 12 months.Although down from the previous year, this still exceeded all my expectations.It is impossible to stress just how important postcards are to the SCA; inrecent years the money raised has accounted for over 10% of all the moneythat has been sent to the Sudan.

As in previous years donations of pcs continue to be in decline, but moreseriously the number of better, older, more valuable ones have virtuallydisappeared from those donated. More collectors are 'counting their pennies' andthe two major Postal auctions I have used for many years have both recentlystopped trading. Again the volume of material has been boosted by cards obtainedfrom dealers and other charities, but they bring scant rewards, despite the time andeffort spent sorting them. Recent excessive rises by the Royal Mail in the cost ofsending large boxes will seriously affect the sale of these cheaper cards. Perhaps itis time to admit we have been over-achieving for the last 2 years and must come toterms with fewer sales and less money.

Normally our AGM would attract only the regular 'diehards', but this June it wasalmost standing room only. We had an excellent speaker in Baroness Cox, and aperformance by 4 Sudanese singers. The Baroness is certainly well equipped tospeak about the Sudan and has 'the ear' of many world leaders - but are theyprepared to listen, one has to wonder.

For Reference:

To a postcard collector there are 3 main sizes of pcs:

1. Golden Age: these are the smaller sized cards most sought after by theserious collector. In the early 1900s all pcs would be this size. But don't bemisled - old doesn't necessarily mean valuable.

2. Continental Size: these are the more common cards found on sale today.They were accepted on the continent much earlier than here.

3. Large or Oversize: anything larger than Continental, favoured by publishersand  shopkeepers  because  they make more  profit,  but  absolutely  hated  bythe collector and the hardest card to sell.

In the somewhat old-fashioned world of the pc collector, any card producedafter 1960 is still classified as modern. It may well be over 50 years old but remainsmodern in the eyes of the collector. There is currently talk of a creating a newcategory.  And finally, please do not deface a pc by removing the stamp. Adamaged pc is worth nothing.

Len Whittaker, Co0rdinatorSupplied by Muriel Freeborn and abridged by the editors

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WILTSHIRE BUTTERFLIES, June  2013We must go away more often! As soon as Jenny and I left for a holidaythe  heat‐wave  commenced  and  on  our  return  butterflies  were‘everywhere’. Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets wereespecially common and Large and Small Whites particularly noticeable. Ihope many of you have seen them and enjoyed their presence.

George Hurst asked about the ‘little brown jobs’ with rings on their wings inthe Fitzmaurice School field. They were Ringlets and I counted 36 during a 22‐minute visit on 18�� together with 154 Meadow Browns. Angela Onions phonedto say she had seen a Holly Blue in her garden on 17�� and subsequently othershave been reported. During this hot, calm, sunny weather, many havewandered from their usual habitats and have turned up in gardens and urbanareas. A Zebra Long‐wing butterfly was reported and photographed in aMelksham garden – a common, colourful, South American species, but how itarrived in Melksham remains a mystery. Strangely, one was also photographedin a Chippenham garden in 2011.

As I write, second generation SmallTortoiseshells, Peacocks and Commasare appearing in good numbers. Oneexceptional observation – in a 13-acrefield in the Wylye Valley, 294 SmallTortoiseshells were counted on 17��and several double‐figure counts fromelsewhere.

In the woodlands, White Admiralsand Silver-washed Fritillaries are nowfrequent and the splendid but localisedPurple Emperor appears to be doingwell in its restricted woodland haunts.

So, after the long cold winter and spring, our butterflies have shown howresilient they are and given the right weather conditions, can bounce back fromscarcity and flourish for our delight.

Mike FullerWiltshire Butterfly Recorder

A Zebra Long-wing bu�erfly in aMelksham graden. Photo: Jenny Spark.

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Saxon ClubThere are no formal meetings of the Saxon Club in August but we meet each

Tuesday at 2pm in the Tea-Pot café for tea and informal chat.

FOR PRAYER IN AUGUST

We  pray  for:� Our Farmers� Visitors to our town� The Church Stewards and their Ministry of Welcome� The long-term sick and lonely

Bradford on Avon District LinkGood Neighbour volunteers available to help you.

If you have a problem getting to a hospital or doctor’s appointment,shopping, or just visiting a friend…

Phone LINK: 07957 367124

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, WestwoodChurchwardens:

Jonathan Azis jonathan@azis.co.ukDavid Chalmers chalmers.david8@gmail.com 01225 866734PCC Secretary: Elizabeth Luxton elizalux@hotmail.com

  The  Parish  Church  of  St  Mary,  WingfieldChurchwardens:

David Robinson david.robinson@paultonsstreet.com 01225 769018Sue Phillips jandsphillips@hotmail.com 01225 755431PCC Secretary: Sue Phillips

Monday, July  22ⁿ�, 2013:

‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the governmentshall be upon his shoulder’, Isaiah ch9: v6We pray for Prince George of Cambridge, future King of England, andfor his parents.

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

THE STANDING COMMITTEE Chairman, Churchwardens, LLM and Treasurer

CHURCHWARDENS EMERITIJeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch.

THE PASTORAL CARE TEAMJoanna, Graham, Anne Carter, Joan Finch, Marlene Haffenden, Tony Haffenden,Chris Hodge, Evelyn Humphrey, Heather Knight, Sue Lavis, Val Payne,David Rawstron, Hazel Rawstron, Sylvia Stanes.

THE FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCHChairman: John CoxSecretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller Treasurer: John WoodsCommittee: Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Chris Hodge, Jeremy Lavis, Revd Angela Onions, Raymond WinrowEx officio: Judith Holland, Trevor Ford

BRADFORD GROUP MINISTRYThis is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North Bradfordon Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a much closer bondand to this end joint meetings and services have recently been held, and the Groupclergy meet regularly.

PARISH NEWSEditors: Ann Holland (862731) & Bryan Harris (863011)

e-mail: HT.ParishNews@gmail.comDistribution: John and Beryl Cox (864270)Subscriptions: Mary Ford (862240) Annual subscription £5.00 in advance .

*Deanery Synod representatives

Members

OfficersThe Revd Joanna Abecassis, ChairmanTrevor Ford (Churchwarden), Vice ChairmanJudith Holland (Churchwarden)

Anne Carter Margaret Harris Erin Shields-PettGraham Dove June Harrison* Malcolm Walsh*Elaine Crabbe Chris Hodge (Secretary) Anne Willis*Ron Dell Jeremy Lavis (Treasurer) Peter WillsJoan Finch Brian Netley Ray Crabbe (co-opted)Marlene Haffenden* Bette Riddle

Printed  at  the  Parish  Office,  18A Woolley  Street,  Bradford  on  Avon.

Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk/.Previous issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.

OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS

PCC Secretary Chris Hodge 869357 email: hodge_c1@sky.comPCC Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600Benefice  Administrator    Sally  Palmer‐Walton beneficeadmin@brad‐avon‐ht.org.ukBenefice  Admin  Assistant  Aylene  Clack beneficeoffice@brad-avon-ht.org.ukBellringers Phil Gaisford 863538Bookstall Rev Angela Onions 309001Brass Cleaning Chris Hodge 869357Coffee  on  Sunday  Janet  Brown  and  862188 Malcolm Walsh 862702Church Stewards David Milne 864341Director of Music Thomas Pelham 07922 849982Display Co-ordinator Revd Angela Onions 309001Electoral  Roll  Officer  Alan  Knight  860991Flowers Jonquil Burgess 868905Food bank Margaret & Bryan Harris 863011Guides & Brownies Bryony Green 865820

email: girlguiding_boa@btinternet.comMothers’ Union Ian & Sylvia Stanes 309036MU Prayer Circle Chris Hodge 869357Servers Mary Ford 862240Saxon Club Revd Angela Onions 309001Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees:                Chairman  Anna  Tanfield  (all  bookings)    863819 Secretary Diana Shaw Stewart 863253 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600Sidesmen Rota Judith Holland 866215Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman 866995Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Church Stalls John Woods 863298 Communications Jackie Easby 863014Team Trinity June Harrison 863745

Parish Representatives on other organisations:Bradford Group Council: The ChurchwardensChildren’s Society: Anne CarterChristian Aid: Jonquil BurgessDeanery  Synod:  June  Harrison,  Marlene  Haffenden, Malcolm Walsh; Anne WillisBoA Churches Together: David RawstronSt Laurence School: The Revd Joanna Abecassis and Heather Knight (Foundation Governors)

The Chapel of St Mary Tory Inset: East window by Mark Angus

The Saxon church of St Laurence