L I N K Monthly M agazine

50p

St Mary the Virgin, Rickmansworth The Church of England and The Methodist Church in Partnership

Serving the whole community

December 2012

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St Mary the Virgin, Rickmansworth The Church of England and The Methodist Church in Partnership

Serving the whole community

REGULAR SERVICES PLEASE SEE CALENDAR ON CENTRE PAGES FOR FURTHER DETAILS, AND OCCASIONAL VARIATIONS AND ADDITIONS

TIME SERVICE FORM SUNDAYS Weekly 8.00AM Holy Communion Anglican BCP

1st 10.00AM Family Eucharist United Rite followed by coffee in the Church Centre

2nd–5th 10.00AM Parish Communion followed by coffee in the Church Centre

Children’s Church in the Church Centre Crèche in the Tower

2nd 12.15PM Holy Communion United Rite

Weekly 6.00PM Evening Service

WEEKDAYS

Mon–Fri 8.30AM Morning Prayer

Tue 9.30AM Holy Communion United Rite

Mon–Fri 5.45PM Evening Prayer

CONTACTS The code for all telephone numbers is 01923, unless otherwise indicated.

CHURCH WEBSITE www.stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk VICAR Revd Deborah Snowball The Vicarage, Bury Lane 772627 vicar@stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk ASSISTANT Revd Scott Talbott 40 Berks Hill, C’wood 07802 244877 PRIEST scott.talbott@talk21.com

READER Michael Baker 5 Parsonage Farm, Townfield 776109

PARISH OFFICE Parish Secretary Louise Wotherspoon Church Street, Rickmansworth 721002

Address WD3 1JB e-mail parishoffice@stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk Opening Hours 9.30AM–1.30PM, Mon, Thu, Fri, and 1.00–3.00pm Wed, in school term time

CONTINUED ON INSIDE BACK OF COVER

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LINK December 2012 In This Month’s Issue

4 Reader’s Letter Women Bishops?

5 Readings at the Main Services

6 Prayers Weekly prayer topics, Prayers for other Churches, local people and Church members

7 A Prayer for December

7 Advent Events taking place during the season

8 Christmas at St Mary’s Christingle, Christmas tree, Carol singing, decorating the Church, Christmas cards, Carol and Crib Services, open house at Vicarage

10 Pantomime Children and half a camel needed!

10 The ‘Gramble’ A pleasant afternoon

12 From the Registers

12 St Mary’s People

13 Obituary for Allan Swan

14 The War Memorial A correction

15 The Autumn Market The Church’s stall

16 December Calendar

18 Past Remembrance Sundays Some thoughts from previous years

19 Wensum Court Flats available, deputy warden required

21 Nativity DVD View it at Joan Martin’s

21 Light Takes Time to Travel A poem by Alton Saunders

21 Watersmeet Events

22 St Mary’s School Help needed for the garden

22 Maisie and Mai In a donkey sanctuary

23 The Twelve Days of Christmas An Australian version

24 RDFAS Kings College Cambridge Architecture and Music

24 St Mary’s in the Past Some notes from 1922 and 1972

26 Nature Notes Ash trees, hedgehogs and birds

28 Chorleywood Choral Society Christmas Jazz in Church

29 Cartoon and Smile

29 LINK A thank you, a volunteer, order forms, dates

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Reader’s Letter Michael Baker

By the time you read this, we will know whether or not women are going to be consecrated as bishops in the Church of England – as is already the case in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The General Synod will be meeting to discuss the proposal yet again and to vote on it in November, after LINK has gone to press; there has to be a two-thirds majority among bishops, priests and laity (voting separately) for it to pass.

As has been pointed out already elsewhere, it is illogical for there to be ordained women priests in our church, but not bishops. If the proposal is rejected, it cannot be brought forward again for five years, and it will make it difficult for further progress to be made towards implementing the Anglican/Methodist Covenant (which, unfortunately, may be regarded in some quarters as a reason for voting against). The objections come from those at either extreme of the C of E spectrum who regard the ministry of women as either contrary to tradition or unscriptural, or both. At the time I am writing, it is predicted that voting will be close, but that the necessary majority will be found (though there are reports that opposition is hardening in some quarters). As always, the Church of England remains as blithely capable as ever of shooting itself in the foot over this issue.

The stumbling-block for both sides is the provision in the proposal to attempt to keep within the fold those who have announced that they will refuse to serve either under a woman, or under any bishop who has ordained a woman, by offering some form of alternative oversight. The wording of this clause has been watered down from that first proposed; supporters of women’s consecration still regard it as offensive, while opponents denounce it as meaningless fudge which remains unacceptable. You may wonder why I am going on at such length about something which will have already happened. We have to recognise that whichever way the vote goes, the losing side will be bitterly disappointed; there will be accusations of betrayal,

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departures, and even schisms. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will immediately be faced with a Church in crisis and yet another dose of venom in its veins. This is nothing new. As the hymn The Church’s one foundation puts it, in a verse usually omitted these days:

Though with a scornful wonder Men see her sore oppressed By schisms rent asunder By heresies distressed, Yet saints their watch are keeping Their cry goes up, ‘How long?’ And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song.

We must hope that the victorious side will act with understanding and generosity towards their opponents, and will recognise that allowance must be made on all sides if the Body of Christ is not to suffer a collective ecclesiastical nervous breakdown. As Archbishop Rowan has pointed out, charity is needed by all.

The Church is a body of pilgrims, and it is most at risk when it settles at a staging-post, and assumes it has arrived at its final destination – somewhere we will never reach in this life or this world. Jesus’ command to his disciples was ‘Follow me’, not ‘Sit down with me and admire the view’. We can but soldier on in faith.

Service Readings at Communion 2 Dec Jer 33.14-16* 1 Thess 3.9-13* Luke 21.25-36 9 Dec Mal 3.1-4 Phil 1.3-11 Luke 3.1-6 16 Dec Zeph 3.14-20 Phil 4.4-7 Luke 3.7-18 23 Dec Mic 5.2-5a Heb 10.5-10 Luke 1.39-55 24 Dec Isa 52.7-10 Heb 1.1-4 John 1.1-14 25 Dec Isa 9.2-7 Titus 2.11-14 Luke 2.1-14 30 Dec 1 Sam 2.18-20,26 Col 3.12-17 Luke 2.41-52

*8.00am service only

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Prayers Weekly Pointers for the Month

Week beginning: 2 Dec That we may make space in our lives for the coming of

Christ among us 9 Dec Children and young people 16 Dec Priests and ministers of the Gospel 23 Dec That we may welcome the birth of the Divine Child into our world 30 Dec That we may go into the New Year with confidence and

trust in God

For Local Churches The Deanery The Methodist Circuit 2 Dec Mill End, West Hyde & Heronsgate Markyate 9 Dec St Oswald’s, Croxley Green North Watford 16 Dec Sarratt and Chipperfield Redbourn 23 Dec St Andrew’s, Chorleywood Southdown 30 Dec St Lawrence, Bovingdon St Andrew’s, Bushey Heath

People Living in Rickmansworth 2 Dec Woodcock Hill, Shrubs Road 9 Dec Anson Walk, Astons Road 16 Dec Askew Road, Sandy Lodge Road 23 Dec Wolsey Mansions, Park Mansions, Main Avenue 30 Dec Pembroke Road

St Mary’s Network 3 Dec Lilly Gowing, Adrian and Sue Lacey 4 Dec Ruth Lake, Mike and Caroline Lansdown 5 Dec Martin and Marian Lantree, Jonathan and Heidi Lawford 6 Dec Ray Lemon, Colin and Annette Leveridge 7 Dec Paul and Janet Lewis, Peter and Pat Loosley

10 Dec Molly Loveridge, Colin and Janet Lucas 11 Dec Brian and Shirley Lupton, Joan Martin

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12 Dec Graham and Celia Martin, Barbara Matthews 13 Dec Mac and Linette McManus, Fred and Rowie Middleton 14 Dec Steven and Alison Middleton, Sophia Millen

17 Dec Phil and Nicky Mills, Timothy Mills 18 Dec Shirley Mills, Tony Moon 19 Dec David Morgan, Brian and Sally Morgan 20 Dec Aphrodite Morgan, Natalie Morgan 21 Dec Anne Mountford, Karen Mycock

A Prayer for December Members of the Congregation

Loving Father, be with us as we enter the Season of Advent and prepare ourselves for the celebration of your birth. As we open the windows of life day by day, we are confronted with images that represent a modern day Christmas – shops, post, decorations, food, parties, music, crowds and expense. Let our vision of the true meaning of Christmas not become blurred by so many distractions. Help us to remember those whose windows open onto loneliness, sickness, poverty, bereavement, warfare; to whom Christmas brings despair rather than joy. Over all may the Star of wonder, the Star of light lead us in humility and joy to your stable to worship you. Amen

Advent Advent Sunday, the beginning of a new Church Year, falls on 2 December this year.

On Advent Sunday itself, you are invited to bring your crib to church with you to be blessed at the end of one of the morning services before you set it up on display at home, and to take a prayer card to use at home. Put your crib on the table at the back of the church when you arrive.

On the evening of Advent Sunday, we will be having an Advent Carol service at 6.00pm with readings, reflection, music and hymns to celebrate and mark the season.

In Church throughout Advent there will be two opportunities to focus personal prayer and reflection. The church crib will be there

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throughout Advent for you to come and pray there as part of your preparation for Christmas. There will also be a Prayer Focus Table at which you can explore the themes of the Advent candles as they are lit each week: the Methodist Circuit themes of faith, joy, love and hope and the traditional Anglican ones: the Patriarchs, the Prophets, John the Baptist and The Virgin Mary.

There are other ways in which we can prepare at home. You can sign up to receive ‘Posada’, our travelling crib, a lovely way of getting to know other members of the congregation: someone brings it to you and you share a simple act of worship and some hospitality, and then you take it to someone else’s home for the next day and spend a little time in worship and fellowship with

the family there. You could also receive the daily reflections from

the Diocese, either by signing up for the emails (see www.livethechallenge.co.uk) or printed by Louise in the Parish Office, use the daily Bible reading, reflection and prayer prompt from the website www.followingthestar.org or read one of the books especially bought for Advent: Ready, Steady, Slow when the Time Was Right, by Stephen Rand, Stepping Stones to Bethlehem by Jack McCardle or The Advent Adventure by David Rhodes.

Christmas at St Mary’s Creative Christingle

Our Christingle celebrations on Sunday 16 December at 4.30pm will be a bit different this year – with crafts and cakes (and Christingles, of course!) We’ll start in the Church Centre and then move towards the Church when everyone has made their Christingle, and had a cake too! Please let Deborah know if you can help with any of the following: Making plain sponge fairy cakes for the children to decorate Helping to set up after church in the morning: tables, chairs, craft tables Assisting with craft activities Helping with refreshments Helping to tidy up afterwards

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The Christmas Tree of Prayer The ‘decorations’ on this special tree are the stars hung by those who wish to pray for family, friends or situations across the world at this time. The tree will be in Church from 23 December until Twelfth Night. The Church is open during daylight hours. Stars are provided for you to write your message.

Carol Singing

Just in case you don’t get enough Carol Singing at the Carol Service, feel free to come and join our Community Carol Singing around the town on Wednesday 19 December: 11.00am at Waitrose, 12.00 noon on the High Street and 6.30pm at Rickmansworth Station.

Decorating the Church The Church will be decorated for Christmas on Friday 21 December from 10.00am. Please bring foliage with berries to the Church that morning or leave it in the tower during the preceding days.

Christmas Greetings There are two options for your Christmas Greetings at St Mary’s.

Firstly, for those who wish to be more ecologically minded, a board will be at the back of church where people can put up a card to everyone in the parish – and give the money they would have spent on cards to the charities named below via the same system.

Secondly, boxes will be at the back of Church for people to post their cards to other members of the congregation. There is a ‘charge’ of 10p per card which will be divided equally between the Children’s Society and National Children’s Homes (Action for Children). Please drop payment into the Parish Office. The boxes will be available from Sunday 9 December until Sunday 6 January. Any cards not collected by this date will be given over to a recycling facility. There are many cards left behind each year, which is a real shame: if you see some cards you could deliver, please do so.

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Carol Service – 6.00pm Sunday 23 December Our Carol Service will be followed by mince pies and mulled wine in the Church Centre. The members of X Team will be making the pies this year, but if you would like to donate a few, feel free: please bring them along in the morning.

Crib Service – 4.30pm Christmas Eve This is a service principally for families although all are welcome to attend. If you are bringing along younger family members, please encourage them to dress up as a shepherd, lamb or an angel.

Open House at The Vicarage Do feel free to drop in to The Vicarage on the evening of Friday 4 January where I shall have mince pies, mulled wine and mulled fruit juice ready to welcome you.

The Pantomime At the time of going to press The Motley Crew are still looking for the back end of a camel and a few more children for Aladdin, which will be performed in the Cloisters Hall on Friday 18 January at 7.30pm and Saturday 19 January

at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. If you would like to take part please contact Chris Hillier (779580). Box Office details will be on the pew slip and in next month’s LINK.

The Gramble 2012 Gill Gowing

On Sunday 21 October some six cars set off from Rickmansworth heading for the parish church of St Peter and St Paul in Great Missenden. Each car had as passengers two of St Mary’s less mobile parishioners. Each driver took their passengers on a tour of the Chilterns before assembling at the church.

I took my passengers to Chenies, along the Chess Valley to Chesham, then Hyde Heath and The Lee before arriving at Great

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Missenden and the church. I took in Little Missenden, Old Amersham, Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter on the return journey. I am sure that there were as many different routes as there were cars but no doubt many of the same places were visited. Whatever route was taken I know that we all enjoyed the wonderful autumn colours, the rolling landscape and the pretty villages with their predominately red brick and flint cottages typical of the Chilterns. I hope that others like us were blessed by seeing the wonderful red kites that are now so common in the Chilterns. They never fail to lift my spirits as they soar and wheel above.

Arriving at St Peter and St Paul we were welcomed by Anne and Rob Kay, who had masterminded the organisation of the outing, and by one of St Peter and St Paul’s Churchwardens who supplied us with tea and ‘scrumdiddlyumptious’ cakes (this is Roald Dahl country after all) from ‘a kitchen in a cupboard’ in the Church itself.

The Church dates back to the 14th Century although it may have been erected on the site of a much earlier Saxon Church. The architecture of the Church is a mixture of styles, mostly decorated and perpendicular. It has been restored at various times and in the 19th Century was enlarged by adding a north aisle. There was much of interest in the church including two squints or hagioscopes allowing views of the high altar, one from outside the church and the other from within the church. The latter possibly enabling the priest at a side altar to synchronise his celebrations with those taking place at the high altar. Also to be seen are some remnants from the former Missenden Abbey.

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I found some of the newer artefacts of particular interest; a beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child in one of the niches which was sculpted by Brigitte Stride (age 15) of Misbourne School in 1975, and three stunning glass panels, each over six feet in height, depicting the parable of the feeding of the five thousand with loaves on one of the side panels and fish on the other. These panels were erected to the memory of Gillian Thompson who died in 2004 aged just 60. I think it is good to see churches accommodating modern designs and adding to the story of those who have worshipped there over the centuries.

St Peter and St Paul is certainly worth a visit and from 7– 12 December between 11.00am and 4.00pm you will also be able to see twenty themed Christmas trees decorated by members of the local community. And if you go on either Saturday 8 or Sunday 9 December in the afternoon there will be cream teas and homemade ‘scrumdiddlyumptious’ cakes and music from various entertainers.

So a big thank you to Anne and Rob for organising us and to St Peter and St Paul’s for their wonderful hospitality. We all, in the words of Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant, had a simply ‘gloriumptious’ afternoon.

From the Registers Baptisms

28 Oct MAX MICHAEL VANSTONE, son of Adam and Krystal

3 Nov RORY ALLAN SWAN, son of Laurel and Ben

Wedding 3 Nov LAUREL TARRANT and BEN SWAN

St Mary’s People Renewal of Baptismal Vows

28 Oct JAMES ALEXANDER SCOTT URE

Confirmation 18 Nov JESSICA GODDARD, TERESA MARTINS, CHLOË

FITZGERALD and CLAIRE HUSBANDS

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Obituary Allan Henry Barye Swan 1924-2012

Joanna, Maria, Daniel and Ben Swan are grateful to their friends at St Mary’s for their wonderful support and comfort after Allan’s death. It was lovely to have his funeral in the church with the music and readings he had chosen.

Before he was known at St Mary’s he had worked for BOC for 37 years beginning in 1944 as a graduate trainee after taking a wartime degree in engineering studies at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He worked on welding machine design and electrode production lines and moved about - Bilston, India, Newcastle and London.

In 1964 he married Joanna. They left London to get space for cars and a workshop; and have lived in Moor Lane ever since - a home after 25 years of lodgings or hotels. Maria and Daniel were born there. Most of his time was spent working or travelling until he was made redundant in 1980: he then began to take an active part in the life of the community.

So that Allan could work from home he taught himself - largely from books - basic programming on a Commodore. This knowledge he continually updated.

In 1984 John Richardson asked him to be Stewardship Recorder which he was for 17 years and also a member of the PCC and the Stewardship Committee. Allan masterminded the Stewardship Time and Talents Display held in 1992. Everyone involved with the many Church organisations was allotted space in the display to show what they did. The list he made then was the basis for subsequent lists.

Bruce’s Driver’s Canterbury Pilgrimage in 1994, in which many of congregation took part, was videoed by Allan. The film included events publicising it, including the Sunday School float in the Ricky Week Parade; several trips to Surrey and Kent were made before to plan his photography and find the route. While Bruce walked Allan went with his car. One of the triumphs was getting

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the town crier at Lenham to welcome the surprised pilgrims.

Allan chaired a committee for The Festival of Light in 1995 on the centenary of the east window and installation of the Methodist windows. St Mary’s held an exhibition on the work of William Morris and Burne Jones. We had a coach trip to William Morris’s house and several churches in North London.

He was an active school governor giving advice on building; Janet Weaver would invite him to meet the County Architect. Weekly visits to the school made him well known to staff, teachers and others. When computers were new, he helped and taught children some basic programming of his own invention.

A computer was installed in the Parish Office by Allan. He made a complete database of parishioners with photographs which he took at Parish Breakfast (as coffee after Church was in those days).

Outside St Mary’s he was chairman of S W Herts Astronomical Society and a lecturer in computing in Watford – Water Lane, Cassio and Leggatts.

Among the things he made were a long case clock, a telescope and equipment for receiving pictures from orbiting satellites.

Another interest was motor racing. He loved speed and driving and before he had a family he took part in rallies and saloon car racing. He did the repairs and servicing himself.

One can’t finish an account without mentioning his cats. There was Scrappy and a little book he wrote about her and his Christmas card cat Khushi.

In his last years Allan was cut off from society by loss of hearing but he has left many things to be remembered by.

Our War Memorial – Correction Michael Baker

Councillor Ann Shaw has drawn my attention to an inaccuracy in my article which appeared in the November issue of LINK. She recalls that the Lion and Eagle sculpture had been put back on top

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of the Memorial by the 1950s, which was before I moved to Ricky. There was a debate in the PCC when it was proposed to move the memorial to the Churchyard, and the meeting accepted the advice received, that it would be contrary to Church law for the sculpture to be allowed to remain in place on consecrated ground. The Church Council voted to agree to the Memorial being moved to the Churchyard, without the sculpture.

The Lion and Eagle statue was stored for a time in the Bury Coach House (now gone, alas), until its removal to a site in the Basing Gardens, from which it had to be moved again to a less accessible position because, says Ann, children persisted in climbing on to the Lion’s back.

One lives and learns. I could say, like Captain Mainwaring of Dad’s Army ‘I was waiting to see if someone would notice that.’ But in fact, this is an object-lesson about the folly of thinking that the Internet must be better-informed than one’s own (hazy) recollection.

Rickmansworth Society’s Autumn Market Barbara Paterson

A small group of us spent a few hours at this year’s Rickmansworth Society’s Autumn Market. We chatted to those who stopped at our stall, and had available the latest LINK and newsletter. We tried to make little ‘bugs’ with any children, but this was not very successful. The free sweets were more popular!

It was felt that we could be selling something – any ideas for next year? Our next outing into the town will be the ‘Starlight’ evening on Friday 30 November – maybe we will see you there!

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CALENDAR December

SUN 2 THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Family Communion United Rite Home Communions 6.00pm Advent Carol Service Mon 3 12.30pm J Club at St Mary’s School 7.45pm Community and Outreach Committee, Cloisters Hall Tue 4 9.30am Holy Communion United Rite Thu 6 January LINK copy deadline Sat 8 The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 4.30pm Carols at Batchworth Lock

SUN 9 THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Parish Communion United Rite 12.15pm Holy Communion United Rite 1.00pm Lunch Club 6.00pm Said Evening Prayer 7.00pm X Team meets 7.30pm Chorleywood Choral Society concert (in Church) Mon 10 11.30am Prayer for Healing Group (in Church) 12.30pm J Club at St Mary’s School 7.30pm LINK committee meeting 7.45pm Fabric and Churchyard Committee, Cloisters Hall Tue 11 9.30am Holy Communion United Rite 10.45am Charlotte House Carol Service rehearsal 2.00pm Deanery Chapter 7.45pm Exploring Prayer Group: Journeying, the Vicarage Wed 12 7.45pm House Group (for contact, see cover) 8.00pm LEP Constitution meeting, The Vicarage Fri 14 11.00am Charlotte House Carol Service

SUN 16 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Parish Communion United Rite 4.30pm ‘Creative Christingle’, Church Centre 6.00pm Said Evening Prayer

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Mon 17 12.30pm J Club at St Mary’s School 7.45pm Stewardship and Finance Committee, Cloisters Hall 7.50pm Quarter Peal rung by visiting Ringers Tue 18 9.30am Holy Communion United Rite 12.15pm Home Communions through afternoon 6.00pm St Mary’s School Carol Service Wed 19 11.00am Carol Singing at Waitrose 12.00pm Carol Singing on the High Street 6.30pm Carol Singing at Rickmansworth Station Fri 21 9.00am St Mary’s School End of Term Service

SUN 23 THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Parish Communion United Rite 6.00pm Christmas Carol Service Followed by mulled wine and mince pies

Mon 24 CHRISTMAS EVE 4.30pm Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Christmas Communion United Rite With the Blessing of the Crib

Tue 25 CHRISTMAS DAY 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Family Communion United Rite

Wed 26 Stephen, Deacon, First Martyr Thu 27 John, Apostle and Evangelist Fri 28 The Holy Innocents 2.00pm Wedding: Robert Davies and Caroline Aries

SUN 30 THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Parish Communion United Rite January LINK is published

January Tue 1 The Naming and Circumcision of Jesus 10.00am Holy Communion for New Year’s Day United Rite

Fri 4 4.00pm Open House at the Vicarage until 9.00pm

Mince pies and mulled wine. All are very welcome

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SUN 6 THE EPIPHANY 8.00am Holy Communion Anglican BCP 10.00am Family Communion United Rite Home Communions 6.00pm Said Evening Prayer

Practices Each Week New members are welcome at both - just come along.

Wed 7.30pm: Bellringing Practice Thu 8.00pm: Choir Practice

Past Remembrance Sundays Douglas Owen

I have many memories of my 18 years as a member of the congregation of St Mary’s Rickmansworth, but one of the most influential was of a Remembrance Sunday service in 1939. I was an 8-year-old choirboy and from the chancel I could observe the congregation. There were many interesting things going on. There were lots of flags, various contingents in uniform and in the front pews were veterans from the 1914-1918 war, all of them with their medals highly polished. I was very moved and proud to be British. However, I was surprised and mystified that during the service many of these brave men were not only weeping but also sobbing. I had never seen grown men crying, and I certainly had not expected that heroes would show such grief.

It was a couple of years later, while in the top form of Parsonage Road C of E primary school, that Mr Houghton told us about some of the ex-service men from the 1914-1918 war who were still existing in a vegetative state in Richmond, and I shed a tear, anxious that my class-mates did not see me. But I remembered that even those with medals had wept.

In the cloisters of the chapel of the next school I attended was a list of names of Old Boys killed in the war. There were two who were awarded the Victoria Cross, and the School was very proud of all of them, and honoured them as role models. During a Divinity lesson in the 4th form, I was horrified when one of the class, Scott, stated to the class that he thought that these men were not good

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leadership role models. Not only the teacher but the class, including me were outraged. Nevertheless, Scott held his ground and despite the arguments of the teacher persuaded me, at least, of the validity of his views. Among the arguments were that a good leader would not persuade men to die for a cause which he or his followers did not properly understand, and furthermore the misuse of Christianity in persuading men to kill each other was blasphemy.

George Sibley was a pupil at Parsonage Road School, but he only came a few days a month. His family were bargees on the Grand Union Canal and he lived on the barges and only came to school when his barge was tied up at Batchworth Locks. He left school when he was 14 and worked as a labourer with a local firm. He was magnificently strong and I worked with him during my school holidays. He joined the army, but because he was barely literate he was put in the Pioneer Corps. He desperately wanted to be in the Infantry and attended a 12-week Royal Army Educational Corps Course and was very proud to be able to join the Gloucesters. When I learnt that he had been killed in Korea, I understood a little more why some heroes wept at the Remembrance Day Service.

I am uneasy that Remembrance Sunday is not used primarily as a lesson of the futility of war but as a patriotic smokescreen covering up the futility of our involvement in present day conflicts such as Afghanistan. I am also uneasy to find the battle honours of a Regiment in a House of God. What would Jesus have said.

Douglas now lives in Croyde, Devon

Wensum Court Rickmansworth Churches Housing Association

John Walker

Flats Available Wensum Court provides sheltered housing accommodation for men and women of pensionable age who are residents of Rickmansworth or have reasonably close connection with the town. There are currently vacancies for single occupation.

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The attractive building is located in Rickmansworth High Street within easy, level walking distance of the town centre for shopping and stands in its own gardens. Extensive refurbishment to the fabric of the building has been carried out over the last few years including re-roofing, replacement windows, renewed central heating system and renewal of the laundry and associated kitchen.

There are 26 units in all, comprising 21 single and 5 double flats served by a lift to all floors. All units have a kitchen and bathroom with studio accommodation for the single occupancy flats and a lounge and separate bedroom for the double flats. Decoration is carried out on the units prior to a new tenant taking possession. A common room and laundry room are available for residents’ use and a guest room is provided for short stays by residents’ visitors. Car parking is available for residents and their visitors.

Further information can be found on the internet at www.housingcare.org by entering the key words “Wensum Court” in the search facility.

Applicants should be independent and in good health having regard to their age, as personal services cannot be supplied by the Association.

If you are interested in making an application you are invited to contact the resident Warden, Mrs Molly Loveridge (779885), who will be pleased to supply a brochure and application form.

Part-Time Deputy Warden The Association requires a part-time Deputy Warden for 2 days per week and, in addition, to provide cover for the Warden in her absence at their Sheltered Housing Scheme for the Elderly in Wensum Court.

The person appointed must have a genuine interest in the welfare of elderly people. Any previous similar experience will be an advantage but personal qualities are more important than qualifications.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Criminal

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Records Bureau check in respect of vulnerable adults.

Further details and application form can be obtained from the Resident Warden (779885). Applications should be returned by 31 January 2013.

Nativity DVD Joan Martin

For Christmas 2010 the BBC made an excellent series of programmes and I now have the DVD. If you missed the programmes or would like to see them again I should be happy to show them at my home on either of the following days: Wednesday 5 December at 3.00pm or 7.00pm; Sunday 16 December at 3.00pm or 7.00pm. The programme lasts for just under two hours and we can have a short break for a drink. Please let me know if you would like to come. Tel 775433

Light Takes Time to Travel Alton Saunders

Light takes time to travel: We see the images of yesterday, the stars of yesteryear. Far out in space our images go travelling on – Our childhood radiating out towards the galaxies. And far away, maybe, With instruments of far-advanced technology, Worshippers, alien worshippers, watch in wonder A little baby, Soon to burst all worlds asunder And let the Light of God pour in.

Watersmeet December Fri 7-Mon 31 Times vary Peter Pan, the pantomime

January Thu 17 2.00pm & 7.45pm Film: Hope Springs

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St Mary’s School We still need your help!

We are still looking for volunteers to assist a member of staff and work with pupils to maintain the KS2 garden in the school gardening club. If you can help on Tuesday lunchtimes (12:15pm to

1:15pm), please contact us (see below). We have 41 children who would like to take part but we shall not be able to run the club for them all if we do not have enough volunteers. All offers of help will be very gratefully received!

Before our much needed half-term break Year 4 enjoyed Egyptian Day. We had a good turnout for the Nursery Praying In Service where Reverend Snowball invited the Nursery parents to join us in saying prayers for the children. The PTA organised a wonderful fireworks display which we hope everyone enjoyed. They managed to raise a fantastic £1800 for the school! This half term, Year 2 visited St Albans Cathedral and Year 3 will visit the Natural History Museum.

We currently have a vacancy for a Lunchtime Supervisor. The successful applicant will need to come in for an hour at lunchtime Monday to Friday. The pay rate is £8.50 per hour. If you are interested please contact the school at admin@stmarys698.herts.sch.uk or call the school on 776529.

Maisie and Mai Nick White

For those of you who remember Maisie the donkey that I used to bring to church at Christmas and Easter I thought you might like to know that she is enjoying life at The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth with her friend Mai.

I went to visit them both about two weeks ago in their new home on one of the donkey sanctuary farms in Devon. There are about four hundred and eighty donkeys at this one farm alone and on my arrival most of them were out grazing in the fields prior to

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being brought in to the lovely clean barns where they were due to be weighed and given a routine health check.

As the donkeys trotted down the steep track towards the barns I saw Maisie with her lifelong friend Mai being followed very closely by another donkey (a boy donkey). If they saw me they did not let on and trotted happily by with their heads held high. I followed them into the huge sweet smelling barn to stroke them both; they looked absolutely marvellous as always, cheerful and friendly with trimmed hooves and thick coats ready for the winter. I spent a long time stroking them both and finding out from the staff how they were getting on.

I noticed that wherever Maisie and Mai went the same boy donkey was never far away from them but no matter what he did to try to attract their attention both girls pretended to ignore him.

I asked one of the staff who this donkey was and she said that he had come in on the same day as Maisie and Mai but on his own and had grown attached to them. He was nervous so I just left him to be within a comfortable distance of Maisie and Mai.

Towards the end of my visit Maisie, always the leader, made her way towards one of the other barns closely followed by Mai. Now it may just have been my imagination but I am sure I saw her slow down, raise her head and then with a glint in her eye she put one ear back in the direction of the boy donkey as if to say “well are you coming with us or not”?

Of course he was.

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‘The Twelve Days of Christmas Aussie Style An Australian version that David Hibbert came across when last

in Australia 12 Devils sighing, [as in Tasmanian devil]. 11 Emus kicking, 10 Wombats sleeping, 9 Crocs a weeping, 8 Flies a feasting, 7 Possums playing, 6 Sharks a swimming, 5 Kangaroos, 4 Cuddling Koalas, 3 Little penguins, 2 Pink galahs,

1 and a Kookaburra up a gum tree.

Rickmansworth and District Fine Arts Society (RDFAS)

Sarratt Village Hall Tuesday, 11 December

11.00am, with coffee or tea from 10.30am

Kings College Cambridge: Architecture and Music

Elizabeth Gordon

Visitors are always welcome For further details call Diana Jefkins (01494 874507)

St Mary’s in the Past

1922 In his December letter, the Revd Newton was full of the recent Mission, which “will never be forgotten here”. As “the weather was not of the best”and “the church was horribly cold”, Beesons [remember them?] had installed gas radiators in the nave and side aisles. The Mission was “beyond all doubt splendid” and much of

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its success was attributed to the people going round the parish time after time arousing others’ interest. The ‘pull’ of the Irish missioner’s personality made people want to come again and again and the main body of the church was packed night after night to listen to him reinterpreting the gospel “with astonishing freshness and the utmost simplicity” – a gospel of love. Attendance at Eucharists during the Mission had encouraged the Vicar to introduce daily Eucharists.

He had not yet decided what services to hold on Christmas Day because he was still debating how to suit both ‘high’ and ‘low’ church parishioners’ preferences, but he gave everyone a comprehensive list of instructions from which we learn that the custom then was to kneel ‘upright’ at the altar rail in groups of twelve to take communion.

Finance was still of concern, as “it costs about £20 a week regularly, year after year, to provide all that the Church stands for”. Freewill offerings and collections were to be introduced, because regularly giving “even a penny or two a week” was valuable.

A public auction was to be held to help raise the ‘some hundreds of pounds’ needed to start heating the Church.

Girl Guides were to be introduced into Rickmansworth; eventually it was hoped there would be two companies.

For Armistice Day the sale of Flanders Poppies had been organised from a stall outside the Council Offices and many sellers were posted in the streets. In the evening performers at a concert at the British Legion Hall in Ebury Road had included Mr and Mrs Bradbury (presumably Frank, in whose memory the shelves just inside the church’s north door were built), Miss Ethel Gatehouse and Mr Fred Beasley, all familiar names to some of us today.

1972 The Revd Norman Hill, writing about Advent, used the opportunity to urge everyone to give simple Christmas presents

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“like the gift of God to us – the child in the manger, not elaborate or expensive ones”.

Aims for the parish for the next three years had been decided at a Parish Meeting. Among them were: formation of a Parish Prayer Group, a time and talents campaign, a Stewardship review and annual reminders to renew stewardship pledges. The Evangelism Committee was to review their work, visit people in other parts of the parish and give talks to outside societies. They would seek to bring young people more into church life, especially the over 10s. Finally a Worship Committee would be formed. Various short-term experiments to be tried at the Parish Eucharist were lesson readers’ rehearsals, loudspeakers, re-siting the choir at the west end of the church, consecration of the elements at the chancel steps, more outside preachers, and sidesmen putting books in the pews so that they could concentrate on welcoming people as they arrived.

There was to be a Christingle service in St Albans Abbey, but not in St Mary’s.

The parish magazine was to be printed by a new process, and would contain sixteen pages (instead of up to twenty) at a set price, but could in future include photos and drawings.

Nature Notes Angela Hall

It has been difficult to think of anything cheerful to write about this month. The news is full of dire warnings that our native ash trees are likely to be wiped out by disease as were the elm trees a generation ago. Some elms have survived and it is to be hoped that the same will apply to ashes. The trees cannot now be imported and infected ones are being burnt but, as often happens, the cry goes up, ”Too little, too late”. This is all very well with hindsight but governments are surrounded by a plethora of experts offering contradictory advice. It is bad enough with ash trees but pity those who had to decide whether or not to implement a badger cull to try to reduce the transmission of

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bovine TB, with the added unpopularity caused in a largely ignorant public. Badgers are cute aren’t they? Now if it had been rats… Badgers are wonderful handsome animals but cute they are not. They are carnivores that are said to be able, if cornered, to bite off a man’s finger. Though they eat a lot of worms their food includes the eggs and young of ground–nesting birds, and they are also fond of hedgehogs. It is thought that the dramatic decrease in the number of the latter is partly due to the increase in the number of badgers which, now normally protected, rose by ten percent between 1990 and 2004 and is still rising. Only recently have researchers taken an interest in the demise of hedgehogs, which were once one of our commonest mammals, but are now thought to be vanishing at the rate of 30,000 a year. Other causes of this dramatic reduction are garden fences, which inhibit access to food sources, the use of decking, fruit nets and slug pellets, and then, of course there is the increase in road traffic. A friend had a pair of young hedgehogs which came into her garden every evening for a feed of special hedgehog mix. She is hoping they will have put on enough weight to hibernate successfully as they must have been born late in the year. But climate change may also be disrupting the hibernation pattern of hedgehogs.

I mentioned last month the hope that we should soon see redwings, fieldfares and lapwings. But again the news is bad. Fishermen in the North Sea have reported that a combination of fog and high winds has caused exhausted and disorientated migrating redwings and fieldfares to fall into the sea. Lapwing numbers have fallen by half in the past thirty years. No one is quite sure why and this is being investigated as part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme.

We did, however, see a fair number of lapwings on a recent visit to Middlesbrough. There is a huge flat area of rough pasture scattered with numerous ponds and creeks near the mouth of the Tees, with chemical works, an oil terminal

Greater Black-Backed Gull

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and a power station looming in the distance. It forms a wonderful nature reserve, and the RSPB has built a path leading to a new hide where great black-backed gulls, redshanks, and other waders and waterfowl can be watched on the tidal mudflats together with grey and harbour seals. More unexpected was a charm of goldfinches feeding in a bleak hawthorn hedge and a brown

hare bounding off into the distance, showing that the natural world can thrive even when surrounded by heavy industry.

Sunday 9 December 7.30pm

St Mary’s Church

Tickets £12, Students under 25, £6 Under 16s free From Chorleywood Bookshop, Chorleywoodchoralsocie-ty@gmail.com, phone 282111, or at the door

Redshank

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Dave Walker Cartoon

Reproduced with permission from Dave Walker at CartoonChurch.com Smile

Supplied by Hanne-Lise Stamper

Showing a picture of the Virgin Mary and Jesus to her little brother, Alice explains, “This is Jesus and his mother” “Where is his father?” the little boy asks. “He is taking the photo”, says Alice.

LINK Greetings and Thanks

We wish all our readers a very happy Christmas The year’s end is a good time to say thank you to our readers for their words of encouragement, but an especial thank you to those of you who also contribute to it. Without your support we should not have a Parish Magazine and we should like to encourage more of you to send any articles, news or clear photographs of interest to other readers, so that our magazine better represents our church community.

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Come and Join Us! We are still looking for help on the LINK Committee. If anyone has interest, time and some computer skills any of the Editors (see back of LINK cover) would be delighted to hear from you. We also still need someone or a couple of people to take over from Buzz in preparing our new email edition for circulation at the end of each month, which should not be hard once she has shown you what to do.

Ordering LINK From the LINK request forms so far returned we have had 14 people sign up for email copies from January.

If you have not returned a form yet, and especially to be sure there is a printed copy for you if that is your choice, please return one as soon as possible. We will definitely need to know how many to print by 10 December. After that date you will be able to sign up for or cancel email copies yourself via our website: www.stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk. It is very straightforward. Should you decide you want a printed magazine later than 10 December, please still send us a request form.

January LINK Copy deadline: Thursday 6 December

Publication date: Sunday 30 December We are very pleased to receive contributions of interest to members of the Church and the local community. Copy should reach a member of the LINK Committee* by the above copy date, preferably by email (please leave the formatting to us) at link@stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk, but we can accept handwritten copy. We may have to edit for space or other reasons and tight deadlines do not always allow for discussion of changes with authors. We like good quality photographs with enough contrast to reproduce well in black and white. Please note that opinions expressed in LINK are not necessarily those of the Editors of LINK or St Mary’s Church.

*Please see back cover for contact details.

CONTACTS (continued)

The code for all telephone numbers is 01923, unless otherwise indicated.

CHURCHWARDENS Barbara Paterson 720356 Roger Willett 443586

METHODIST STEWARDS Derek Day 237248

Julie Smethurst 282927

THE UNITED CHURCH COUNCIL Secretary Tracy Phillipps 718775

Treasurer Robert Kay 773470

CHURCH HALLS Church Centre Bookings Kasia Todd 07801 049687 centrebookings@stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk

Treasurer Simon Allard 776641

Cloisters Hall Bookings Sarah Bennett 775613 Treasurer Michael Butler 778001

CHURCH MUSIC Organist &Choirmaster Andrew Sykes 718561

SACRISTAN Team Leader David Gilbert 332572

ALTAR SERVERS Chris Hillier 779580 Sue Hillier 779580

BAPTISMS Contact Parish Office 721002

BELL RINGING Tower Captain David Hibbert 773735

Sun 9.15–10.00AM, 5.15–6.00PM Wed 7.30PM–9.15PM

Handbells Suzanne Warren 01442 385922

BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP Sue Hillier 779580

CARE Representative Angela Hall 720543

CATERING COMMITTEE Barbara Owen 772325

CHARITABLE GIVING Working Party John Shaw 775219

CHILDREN’S CHURCH Sun 10.00AM, Church Centre

Junior Church Libby Kershaw 776251

Sunbeams (3–5 years) Christine Martin-Ayling 825159

CHURCH CLEANING Derek Day 237248

COFFEE AFTER CHURCH Anne Kay 773470

COMMUNITY AND OUTREACH Revd Deborah Snowball 772627

ELECTORAL ROLL John Glidden 223613

FABRIC & CHURCHYARD COMMITTEE Secretary David Hibbert 773735

FLOWER ROTA Julie Smethurst 282927

CONTINUED ON BACK OF COVER

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CHURCH SCHOOL St Mary’s Church of England Primary Headteacher Helen Gill 776529 Address Stockers Farm Road School Website www.stmarys698.herts.sch.uk

CONTACTS (continued)

The code for all telephone numbers is 01923, unless otherwise indicated.

HEALING MINISTRY Revd Deborah Snowball 772627

HOUSE GROUPS 4th Tue, 10.15AM Gillian Baker 775890 Brenda Bell 772482

2nd Wed, 7.45PM Jane Pummell 774343

LIBRARY Librarian Michael Baker 776109

LINK Published monthly On last Sunday of previous month

Copy to: link@stmarysrickmansworth.org.uk or an editor by the Thursday just over 2 weeks before the publication date (see last page).

Editors Brenda Bell 772482

Geoff Hall 720543 Jane Pummell 774343

Subscriptions : Jane Pummell 774343

LUNCH CLUB 2nd Sun Joan Martin 775433

MEET FOR TEA 1st Thu Joan Martin 775433

MOTLEY CREW Chris Hillier 779580 Suzanne Harding 770992

SIDESPEOPLE Roger Willett 443586

SOCIAL COMMITTEE Chris Hillier 779580

ST MARY’S NETWORK John Hill 772809 Suzanne Hill 772809

STEWARDSHIP AND FINANCE John Hill 772809

STEWARDSHIP RECORDER Brian Warmington 775360

SUNDAY SERVICE ROTAS Bible readings Jane Pummell 774343

Intercessions John Glidden 223613

TODDLERS’ CLUB Church Centre, Wed 10.00AM Gillian Thomas 446931

UNIFORMED ORGANISATIONS Rainbows Tue Janet Eavis via Parish Office 721002

Brownies Mon Carol Thomas 447622

Guides Fri Tracy Jenkins 336771

WEDDINGS Bookings Contact Parish Office 721002 Marriage Preparation The Revd Deborah Snowball 772627 Marian Lantree 01727 862602

YOUTH GROUP X-Team David Carruthers 897928