1

the magazine of st mary’s church rushden & st peter’s newton bromswold

grapevine 50p march 2018

2

Rector: Rev Canon Stephen Prior The Rectory, Rectory Road, Rushden, NN10 0HA email: sprior@toucansurf.com

01933 312554

Curate: Rev Natasha Brady 49 Clover Drive, Rushden, NN10 0UE email: natasha_brady@btinternet.com

01933 311029

Readers: Mick Bantin, Ruth Compton, John Dixon, Don Merrifield, Tony Smith

Hall Bookings: Pam & Paul Bailey 7 Kenilworth Close, Rushden, NN10 0QH

01933 313195

St Mary’s Churchwardens:

Martin Cromwell, 8 Cheltenham Cl, Rushden, NN10 0YN Gerald Bass, 45 Manor Rd, Rushden, NN10 9EX

01933 358355 01933 313589

St Mary’s Church Office Tues-Thurs: 10.00-12noon: Pam Bailey, Marion Bates, Sue Prior Webmaster: Sue Prior

01933 412235

email: stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com website: www.stmaryschurchrushden.org

Newton Bromswold Churchwardens Bob Lines, 25 Church Lane, Newton Bromswold, NN10 0SR: Rosemary Gepp, 166 Avenue Rd, Rushden, NN10 0SW

01933 315864 01933 355703

Newton Bromswold Website: www.newtonchurch.co.uk

grapevine subscriptions One year’s subscription (10 issues) £5

Postal subscription: £10 Large Print Editions are available in

church or may be pre-ordered.

Any changes to order or details of delivery to: The Church Office e-mail: stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com Phone: 01933 412235

All monies to Peter & Barbara Coxon

11 Oakpits Way Rushden NN10 0PP

e-mail: pguineapig11@aol.com

Who’s Who

3

contents Who’s Who 2

The Hunt is On 4

Ignorance is not bliss 6

St Mary’s News 8

St Mary’s Flowers 8

From the Registers 8

Prayer Corner 9

You might like to know 10

News from Newton 11

St Mary’s Mission Partners 12

Meet the Congregation 14

Cookery Column 15

Diocesan News 16-19

Looking Back at St Mary’s Magazines 20

Belfry Gossip 24

Diary 25

Crossword 344 26

Services for March 27

The Back Page 28

Items for the

April grapevine should be sent by

Sunday 11 March to Jude Curtis either by email:

missjudecurtis@btinternet.com

or left in the letterbox outside the office

Please include your name and phone number with any

submission in case we need to contact you.

grapevine march 2018

In this edition

Monthly event for dads, stepdads,

granddads or male carers and their

younger children [0-6 yrs] with the

added bonus of good coffee and a

breakfast bap!

Saturday 17 March 9.30am—12noon

St Mary’s Church Hall Adults £3: children free

Just turn up!

4

The Hunt is On

Up and down our country young and old alike have been gripped by a new fever: a well known chocolate egg manufacturer has devised a massive egg hunt. Quite ingenious you might think, until you realise that they have left out one very important detail in their marketing campaign. And that one very important detail is … Easter. So for a whole three months since the hunt for the white ‘crème’ eggs began, people have no idea why they are carefully peeling back the wrappers other than they might win a bit of cash. Just as Christmas has been airbrushed out of December with slogans like ‘the Holidays are coming’, so many Easter egg manufacturers have airbrushed out the season of Easter, distancing themselves from the Christian celebration of the passion of Jesus.

Thankfully, no-one is forcing us to follow suit! As a Church family, St Mary’s will be seizing the opportunities provided by Lent to prepare ourselves for a full celebration of Easter.

Each Wednesday noon, homemade soup and bread will be served in the Church Hall by each of the churches of the Council of Churches in turn, raising money for Christian Aid.

A new sermon series, ‘Hearing God’s Voice’ will begin on 25 February.

We will hold our monthly Parade Service on 11 March, Mothering Sunday, to allow our uniformed organisations to bring their family along to a special service.

We will begin Holy Week by holding up our palm crosses together, as the people of Jerusalem did 2000 years ago.

On Maundy Thursday we will be gathering in the Church Hall for a shared meal and remembrance of the Last Supper in our Agape.

Then we will reflect on the Cross on Good Friday and march in witness with our brothers and sisters in Christ along the High Street.

Our annual Holiday Club for local children will be a great opportunity to tell them about Jesus on Easter Saturday, before …

To do that, we need to spend time

listening to God, seeking God, leaning in and

snuggling up close to Him.

Natash

a Brad

y, C

urate

5

waking up bright and early on Easter Sunday morning to shout ‘Alleluia Christ is Risen’ as loudly as we can!

But for now, and through the whole of March, we will be on a hunt - not for an egg, but for the one who is and always will be the foundation stone of our faith: Jesus himself.

As the month progresses we have a wonderful opportunity to prepare ourselves for the joy of Easter and remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us. We do that in a deliberate way, a slow way, peeling back, through prayer and bible study the layers of worldliness that inevitably grow over our lives, covering over and influencing our decisions and our spirits. To do that, we need to spend time listening to God, seeking God, leaning in and snuggling up close to Him. Then by the time we get to Good Friday and look at the Cross, we are stripped back to the foundations of what we believe.

The Baptist minister Edward Mote (1797-1874) wrote a wonderful hymn which was set to contemporary music and relaunched by Hillsong as ‘Cornerstone’ in 2011. Its opening line goes like this:

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

This is a reference to 1 Corinthian 3.11, ‘For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ Sitting at the heart of a chapter that Paul the Apostle wrote to the church in Corinth, the chapter asks the Corinthians to think about how they live out their Christian faith. It’s a great chapter to meditate on during Lent, speaking to us about the things that are still a struggle today; things like jealousy, celebrity worship, consumerism, and thinking we are better than our neighbours. As we let the words of scripture sink into us, we are reminded,

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

The foundation stone of that temple is Jesus.

Have a blessed Lent as we prepare for Easter seeking for him. Natasha

6

Pope Francis is not keen on the line ‘lead us not into temptation’. I have always wondered about being forgiven for trespassing. Some modern* versions of the prayer

change this to ‘debts’, with an injunction to write them all off and thus, at one fell swoop, destroy the world’s economy.

Rod Liddle, Sunday Times, 10 December 2017

It seems unlikely that people would bother to ‘unlearn’ the prayer – the version they memorised at school would stay stuck,

dusty but indelible, in their cerebral cortex for ever. Barbara Ellen, The Observer, 10 December 2017

Comments such as the above on the Lord’s Prayer, illustrate how sloppy reporting on the Christian faith is. In no other field is it acceptable for professional commentators to possess little or no knowledge of their subject or to make profound judgements without even recourse to Wikipedia.

It is obvious that such journalists do not talk to ‘insiders’ [that is: Christians] about their interpretations but count on their own, to quote Barbara Ellen, ‘dusty cerebral cortex of childhood’. If that was acceptable, we would all be eating spinach because of Popeye and that notorious typing error in the Fe-heavy list of food stuffs in the ‘40s.

If, as Anthony Horovitz has, you choose the golden age of Agatha Christie’s whodunits as the setting for your new book, Magpie Murders, casting the local clergy as main characters and making churchyards the main setting, then it is hardly correct to conflate ‘funeral’, ‘interment’ and ‘committal’ into a number of ‘graveside events’ involving crowds of people with sermons which last over forty minutes. The area around a church may be called a churchyard or, more rarely, a graveyard: Horovitz consistently describes it as a ‘cemetery’ with all that word’s connotations of metropolitan overcrowding and local authority jurisdiction. The nearest funerals I have seen fitting his description are on TV’s NCIS where military rituals at Arlington involve folding seats provided on a strip of artificial turf for the close relatives. For a writer who cut his screenplay teeth on Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War it is hard to imagine how you would stage such ‘funerals’ – and there are many in his book! Maybe he is too young to have had to attend many funerals, or perhaps he has only attended crematoria, or maybe I should just join the online panel and find out …!

There are a lot of English Literature critics who regard my obsession as far too picky and very bad form. For me, however, if you are sloppy about something that can be so easily checked, then your whole novel is sloppy.

Editorial: Ignorance is not bliss!

7

Years ago, I was enjoying a very slight but appealing thriller with a very smart, female crook, only to have the whole carefully constructed confection ruined on the very last page by a casual reference to said crook learning Spanish in order to facilitate her new life in Brazil – the official language of Brazil is Portuguese! Novels, particularly crime novels - of which I probably read too many, depend on reliable narrators. If you start distrusting the narrator then the bond of trust between writer and reader is irretrievably broken.

Recently, the hugely experienced and courageous Middle Eastern correspondent [who has been something of a personal hero] Robert Fisk was involved in a temper-tantrum over the hymn ‘There is a green hill far away’, which we all know uses ‘without a city wall’ to mean ‘outside’ not ‘lacking’. In this case, and to the delight of the i letter page, Robert was treated to a barrage of smug cognoscenti gloating over his error.

We can’t count on professional journalists or novelists to give us, Christian believers, a fair and informed press. Are the media under-represented by Christians or is that just our perception of the free-living, secularised, lefties of the Fourth Estate? Hard to say, but it does put more responsibility on us to have the kind of meaningful discussion of life, liberty and the pursuit of ultimate happiness that this perpetual coverage of trivia does not address.

There are currently thousands of words circulating on one clause of The Lord’s Prayer, but hardly anything on the church’s role in delivering forgiveness, justice and love. If this isn’t being covered in the media then perhaps it’s our responsibility to engage in conversations about the things that really matter: our relationship with God and how we express it, God’s transformative love for us, in our lives generally.

It’s encouraging then to find a more recent piece of sensible reporting on the Church Investors Group’s [CIG] low key but effective ‘warning shot’ to the bosses of companies in which it invests. The piece, written by Kalyeena Makortoff, reports that the CIG – whose managers handle more than £17bn of assets, and include the investing bodies of the Church of England and the Methodist Church – is due to take ‘a harder line against those who are out of line with best practice’, on issues as diverse as gender representation on company boards, excessive executive pay, failure to pay the minimum wage and opposing the re-election of a company’s chairman if the firm is seen to making ‘little progress to transition to a low carbon world’. This report was where it should be: in the Business section!**

Jude Curtis

* This is hardly ‘modern’. The word ‘debts’ instead of ‘trespasses’ has been used in Church of Scotland services since the Scottish reformation of 1560, as a more correct translation of the Greek. ** i newspaper, 8 February 2018

Lead us not into temptation

8

Ladies’ Group The Ladies’ Group will hold their AGM on Wednesday 14 March. We welcome Lynda Needle to talk to us that afternoon after the business meeting.

Don’t forget the Women’s World Day of Prayer, being held on Friday, 2 March at 2pm at Park Road Baptist Church. Fur further details, please contact Cynthia on 359590

This month sees the tenth anniversary of the Sanctuary Night Shelter in High Street South, Rushden. To celebrate this, two events are being held, to which everyone is invited: 12 noon to 2pm on Wednesday 28

th March, at the

Full Gospel Church, 60 High Street South, Rushden – a week day event 2 to 6pm on Saturday 31

st March:

Celebration Day, at the Full Gospel Church, 60 High Street South, Rushden. Former residents and volunteers are particularly encouraged to attend. Helen Allan has more details on 07871999020.

St Mary’s News St Mary’s News

St Mary’s Flowers March 2018

Note: there are no flowers at the communion table during Lent.

In the Memorial Chapel

25 March—Margaret Clarke

If anyone wishes to give flowers in memory of loved ones please

contact Brenda Dixon, 358982

Looking at these young clergy, I do

wonder at the current curriculum in

theological college.

Funeral

Thursday, 8 February 2018 Kathleen Molly O’Dowd (67)

From the Registers

Reception to Year 6 £10 first child, £5 each sibling

Lunch included.

9

Highlights from St Mary’s PCC 6 February 2018

Refugees - A meeting at the Full Gospel Church on 14th December 2017 was reported by T Smith. The progress for supporting refugees is slow but another meeting is due to take place on 15th March 2018.

New Curate - S. Prior confirmed that Philip Nightingale, his wife Sarah and new baby daughter Bethany will be coming to St Mary’s in June. Phil will be ordained on 24 June 2018 at Peterborough Cathedral. They will live in the former Associate Minister’s house on Meadowsweet Road. The house condition is reported to be good and may need a clean before they arrive.

Ancora - N. Brady will be introducing a new internet game—Guardians of Ancora— to the 7-11 year old group, which will meet on Sundays following the 9.30am service in the Vestry Hall, lasting 45 minutes. Scripture Union created this game which allows play-ers to be a part of the Bible stories.

Removal of tree - M. Cromwell reported that following the receipt of all necessary permissions the large conifer has been removed from the south side of the churchyard.

AGAPE - M. Compton informed the PCC that the AGAPE meal will again take place Maundy Thursday 29 March at 7pm in the Church Hall. The service will include a light meal and tickets of £4 each will be on sale from Sunday 4 March 2018.

Prayer Corner

A Prayer of Rededication for Lent

God of the resurrection, the new creation;

the kingdom come, coming and still to come, thank you

for promising to end pain for your creation and issuing a beautiful invitation to the heart of your image in us.

Help us to live with such certain hope

that we risk freely to help make all things new. Until our last days, or until you return

find us helping to make dreams reality for everyone living in this world you so love. Amen

adapted from 2018 Lent prayers and studies at www.embraceme.org

10

You might like to know...

Women’s World Day of Prayer There will be a service on Friday 2 March at 2pm at Park Road Baptist Church. All Welcome!

East Northants Refugee Support Group will meet on Thursday 15 March at 7.30pm at Rushden Full Gospel Church.

Palestinian Christians slam Pence’s beliefs Palestinian Christians say that US Vice-President Mike Pence’s form of evangelical Christianity, embracing modern-day Israel as a fulfilment of biblical prophecy, lacks their faith’s compassion and justice. Mr Pence welcomed the decision of the US administration to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

i newspaper, 29 January 2018

Faith & Health The Royal Society for Public Health, with the support of the Church of England, the Muslim Council of Great Britain, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and other religious groups have set up a public survey looking at the relationship between faith and health. If you would like to take part go to https://www.

surveymonkey.co.uk/r/faithand health4.

Bishop’s Bible Days There will be two Bishop’s Bible Days this year: following the popularity of the event in previous years, Bishop Donald will be speaking on two separate days. The theme for both will be “Saint Paul for Today”. Each day will have two addresses from Bishop Donald and a variety of workshops on offer.

1) Saturday 24th February, 9.30am to 4pm at Peterborough Cathedral - go to http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/news-and-events/events/details/1997

2) Saturday 3rd March, 9.30am to 4pm at Northampton High School, Hardingstone, NN4 6UU - go to http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/news-and-events/events/details/1998

There are also leaflets at the back of St Mary’s Church. These are open to anyone interested in learning more about the Bible. Admission is free, but there is a suggested donation £5 if you are able. Bring your own lunch. Booking is essential: please indicate the venue and workshops which you wish to attend.

11

News from Newton

Lent Lunches The Council of Churches have again organised Lent Lunches, being held in St Mary’s Church Hall, with a rota of churches responsible for serving and providing home-made soups. St Mary’s is responsible for the first lunch on 21 February. Lunch is served from 12 noon to 1pm with a short devotion in the church for all who wish to attend at 1pm.

Peterborough Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship Meeting On Thursday 8 March there will be a meeting of Peterborough DEF at St Peter’s Church, Midland Road, Rushden, NN10 9UJ.

The meeting will include the AGM and a talk by Revd John Dunnett (General Director of CPAS and chair of the Evangelical Group of General Synod) on Church of England: opportunities, issues and challenges. Coffee at 6.30pm will be followed by a buffet meal at 7pmm, a brief AGM at 7.45pm and Revd Dunnett’s talk from about 8.10pm. Questions and discussion follow until 9.15pm. Further details from Andrew Presland at andrew.presland@harborough58@gmail.com or 01933 316927.

St Peter’s Newton Bromswold Church Flowers

As all of March falls in Lent, there are no flowers in the church.

______________

Upcoming Events

Monday, 19 March

Quiz Night in The Swan starting at 8pm

Entry Fee: £10 for a team of 4

11 March, 10am Mothering Sunday Service

1 April, 10am

Easter Sunday Holy Communion

Saturday, 14 April & Sunday 15 April

Cowslip and Fritillary Days from 2 to 4pm Plants for Sale

and Afternoon Teas

Saturday, 21 April, 6pm Bunny Drive

in the Village Hall Adults £5.00

Children £2.50

Saturday, 14 July, 7pm Barn Dance

Tickets: £10 adults. Children £5

12

Church Army Church Army was established in 1882 by Wilson Carlile with a vision to train ordinary Christian men and women to reach those most in need with the gospel. Over 130 years later, Wilson's vision still guides all that they do. Their vision is for everyone everywhere to encounter God's love, and be empowered to transform their communities through faith shared in words and action. This is at the heart of all Church Army does as it gives hope to those most in need; the homeless, women experiencing prostitution, those battling addictions, young offenders, the elderly and children and young people to name a few.

Our Mission Partner within the Church Army is Yvonne Desroches, a Community Evangelist based for the last three years at St Mary’s Bur-ton Latimer. Many of us have known Yvonne for many years since her nursing career at Rushden Hospital, Wymington Road, where she worked for Peter White. While there, Yvonne met our former rector Michael Wilson who introduced her to Bible Reading Notes which I delivered to her for many years.

Yvonne played an active role in the worship and witness at St Peter’s Rushden before she felt God calling her to enter the Church Army. After her training Yvonne was commissioned to work at Burton Latimer where she has entered into the life of the church and the local community. Yvonne is a hands-on person and accepts people where they are, showing them the love of Jesus both spiritually and practically.

In the community, Yvonne started a WOW (Worship on Wednesday) Club— an after- school club for children and their parents—which has been such a blessing that the parents have now requested an Adult WOW, which is under consideration. She is also extending a craft evening, begun before Christmas, into a new monthly event for ladies to come and craft , chill and explore deeper — always easier when children are tucked up in bed! for the adult ladies of SMUFS (St Mary’s Under 5’s: a mums and toddlers group held on Tuesday mornings: a time of singing, playing games and praying to Jesus).

(cont í)

St Mary’s Mission Partners

13

The love and strength of Jesus flows from Yvonne by words and actions. She has put her trust in God, giving him her life and work wherever and in whatever way that may entail. Last September, Yvonne shared these verses with the Mission Committee:

Every day God thinks of you; (Psalm 68.19) Every hour God looks after you; (Thessalonians 3.3) Every minute God cares for you (1 Peter 5.7) Because every second he loves you. (Jeremiah 31.3)

We give thanks for Yvonne and her work for the Church Army, praying that she will be blessed and a blessing to all those she comes in contact with. Please remember to pray for Yvonne and her husband Simon.

Edna Wadsworth

CELEBRATING

1010

T h e S a n c t u a r y Night Shelter, Rushden

Saturday, 31 March 2—6pm

at the Full Gospel Church

BBQ cakes and teas TOMBOLA Bouncy Castle egg hunt

REPTILE DISPLAY Cumbrian Egg Dumping

Presentations of 10 years of the Sanctuary

and much more!

Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal Your shoeboxes were sent

to the Middle East! Thank you for being part of the ShoeBox Appeal in 2017. 678,942 children in Eastern Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East received shoeboxes. Your thoughtful gifts show the children who receive your shoeboxes that you love them and that God loves them too.

14

Diane was born in the Maternity Home in De Paris Avenue, Bedford in 1944. Kathleen and Walter Stocker were both part of big families but Diane was their only child. Diane lived in Avenue Road, Rushden for the first twenty-five years of her life. Kathleen took her to Newton Bromswold church each Sunday. Rev Williams and her Mother were plotting to have a race on their motorbikes!

Before starting school Diane remembers taking the dog for a walk and coming back with two: the Army tanks had gone by during the day and on their return Diane flagged them down, asking if they had lost a dog. “Good grief! That's the Majors!” came the reply!

Diane attended Newton Road School. When I asked what she enjoyed most, she replied, “Going home!” Aged eleven, and moving on to North End School (Hayway), she enjoyed hockey, netball and tennis. In her spare time Diane went horseback riding with a friend. She also helped with cutting the hay which was baled and put in the barn. She remembers when a young man tied a piece of corrugated sheeting to his car (like a sledge) piled bales of hay on it and sat Diane on the top to keep them in place. His car went through the gate okay—but Diane and the bales parted company!!

Leaving school at fifteen Diane worked in Horrell’s Shoe Factory in the closing room (making uppers) and also went to night school in Victoria Road to learn the finer technicalities of her job. When Horrell’s closed, Diane moved on to Hewlett’s Shoe Factory in 1976, where she met Paul; they have been great friends ever since, helping each other. By this time Diane was riding around on her own motorbike.

After moving to Bedford Road, Diane began attending St Mary's and has been coming ever since (with the odd gap while caring for her Mother). She has been a member of St John Ambulance for over twenty years.

Diane loves being part of St Mary’s and enjoys the choir and organ music. Roving Reporter

Meet the Congregation - Diane Stocker

15

Who has been the greatest

influence in your life? My mother

Do you have any hobbies? Gardening, decorating,

reading thrillers, listening to brass bands

and organ music

Who would you invite to dinner

if you had the chance? Mary Denton

(a special cousin)

What would you serve her? A good pie (Paul is a good cook) with veg out of the garden, followed by pear

and ginger crumble

What would you do for a treat? I would like to go and see the new bridge across to

Skye.

What is your favourite place? Cornwall

What is the proudest

moment of your life? Passing my driving test.

What is your favourite saying? God moves in a mysterious

way, his wonders to perform.

Those questions COURGETTE &

CREAM CHEESE ROAST (serves 4-6)

50g oil 300g onion, peeled and finely chopped 400g courgettes, chopped small 100g grated carrot 225g low-fat cream cheese or Quark 50g desiccated coconut 100g cashew nuts 225g wholemeal breadcrumbs 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano) 1 egg Salt & pepper, to taste

Sauté the onion and courgette in the oil for 3-4 minutes

Add carrot and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Pack the mixture into a greased, lined 900g loaf tin and cover with foil.

Bake at 190C/Gas 5 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes until top is golden brown.

Eat either hot with vegetables or cold with salad – very versatile, quick to make and keeps well in the fridge for several days. Ideal for a pack up or picnic with crusty rolls!

CA

16

An Interview with Sarah Brown – Peterborough Cathedral’s new Canon Missioner

Welcome to Peterborough, Sarah! You’ve previously

been a parish priest in this diocese. What will the

role of Canon Missioner involve?

I am responsible for helping ensure that anyone who

comes to the Cathedral gains an understanding of

the meaning and purpose of the building, and is

signposted towards Jesus. It is also my job to help

the Cathedral look outwards in mission and love –

both to the city and to the wider diocese. I am

inherently a missioner, so am always driven to try to

show the light of Christ in some of the darker

aspects of life, and make sure that everyone knows that this is their place and

that God is their God.

I believe that this will be a ‘link role’ between the Cathedral and the diocese. In

what ways are you hoping for this to happen?

I think that the Cathedral could do better as a ‘mothership’ to the parish

churches – supporting and even resourcing some of their local mission. I’d like

parishes or deaneries to invite me to meet them to think about how we might

make such a link happen.

What for you will define a successful role as Canon Missioner?

Whilst faith and ministry are about so much more than mere numbers, it will be

exciting to have been part of making more people understand what we have to

offer here. I also harbour a huge desire to extend the reach of our ability to help

those in need. Your prayers would be much appreciated.

March 2018 events

Sat 3 March, Bishop’s Bible Day at Northampton High School NN4 6UU. 9.30am-4pm. A free day of studying the Bible with Bishop Donald. Everyone welcome. Book a place at: Book-ings@peterborough-diocese.org.uk

Mon 5 March, Launde Abbey Quiet Day, LE7 9XB. 10am-4pm. Everyone

welcome. £26 per person, (includes coffee, lunch and tea) Call 01572 717254 or email info@launde.org.uk

Sun 18 March, Music in Ashley Church LE16 8HF. 6.30pm. £15 in-cludes a glass of wine/soft drink and canapés. Children under 16 free. More info at events@ashleychurch.co.uk or 01858 565687.

More details at: www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/events

17

Following Jesus in the steps of St David and St Patrick

I was recently invited to speak at a special event to celebrate St David’s Day, which is kept at the start of this month. Seeking inspiration, I listened to a recording of the crowd at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium singing the Welsh National Anthem “Land of my Fathers” before a rugby international!

Reading the various accounts of David’s life was fascinating, inspiring and challenging. He would pray for hours whilst standing in the river with the water up to his neck. His community worked long hours in the fields and then remained at their devotions “until the stars were seen in heaven”. When he died on March 1

st his final words to the great crowd who had come

to mourn were; “Brothers and sisters, be cheerful. Keep the faith and do the little things you have seen and heard from me”.

Lots of groups claim him as one of their own – a poetic David, a nationalist David, a green David - but he always seems bigger than these and resists all attempts to define him in any one way.

When I asked a wise Welsh vicar about this, he replied; “The key to David, and this is why he doesn’t belong to any one group, is that he only really ever belonged to Jesus. He was always Christ’s man”. What a wonderful description.

This reminded me of the prayer attributed to the other great Celtic patron saint we celebrate this month, St Patrick (March 17

th), which rigorously fo-

cusses our attention upon Jesus.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

With my prayers and best wishes,

Rt Revd John Holbrook, Bishop of Brixworth

Diocese of Peterborough - Magazine Resource - March 2018 Produced by the Diocesan Office, The Palace, Peterborough PE1 1YB

01733 887000 www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk

18

The Bishop of Seoul, Peter Lee, paid a three-day visit to Peterborough at the end of January and beginning of February. Bishop Peter was in the country to attend the annual Anglican Communion New Bishops' Conference in Canterbury over the first ten days of February, but he was pleased to be back in Peterborough en-route.

“It’s my second visit to Peterborough – my first visit was five years ago,” explained Bishop Peter, “so I’m real-ly happy and delighted to see old friends. It’s nice to be back in a city I know very well.”

Bishop Peter was consecrated as Bishop of Seoul in Seoul Cathedral last April – a service that Bishop Donald attended – following seven years as Dean of the Cathedral. But despite his 26 years’ experience since ordination, Bishop Peter admitted that his new role is a rather daunting one.

“It gives me a big sense of responsibility, which can be quite heavy. You are sometimes awake during the night be-cause you have responsibility for the Church, and have to make difficult decisions.

“But at the same time, it is a huge privilege to share witness and encouragement to the people of God. It is a great joy.”

Bishop Peter’s task is all the more challenging when one looks at South Korea as a whole – a country where Christianity has hit something of a plateau.

“After a period of rapid growth, it has been quite stagnant since the 1990s, and has been slowly declining,” said Bishop Peter. “There are many factors for this, but I see the root of all those reasons being that the Church hasn’t been able to be the Church it is called to be. It’s been self-centred, rigid, static and inward-looking in its teaching and in its values. It’s lost its calling and

identity as the body of Christ, and many Christians have been let down and disappointed.”

And of course Christians have also been facing difficulties (albeit different ones) over the border in North Korea – a situation that Bishop Peter has witnessed

first-hand.

He’s a Seoul man

Photo

: Bis

hop D

ona

ld

and B

ish

op P

ete

r

19

“I’ve been once and I’ve seen Christians in North Korea, but it’s hard to tell that they are a Christian church,” said Bishop Peter. “Before the Korean War (1950–1953), there were many Christians there, and since then I’ve wondered whether there are secret small groups. However, there is a severe level of persecution – it’s doubtful how many have survived.

“There is still hope, though. There has been communication between the North Korean Union and the National Church Council of (South) Korea (NCCK). It’s a good thing that Christians are merging together – hopefully we can influence and bring changes for the future.”

Bringing this hope and influence is a huge motivation for Bishop Peter. His motto for 2018 is ‘From believers to disciples!’, and his vision is that this is taken up by all believers within the Seoul Diocese.

“The motto means that we believe we have a unique calling from God, and to be faithful to our calling – pursuing our aim to grow as an Anglican Church. We are focusing on building up our identity, so we can be truly ourselves as disciples of Christ.”

And Bishop Peter is aware that the association he has with Peterborough Diocese will assist him in achieving these aims. The connection between the two dioceses is one that he finds supportive and motivating, and it is a relationship that he hugely appreciates.

“The link we’re building with Peterborough is very positive, very inspiring and helpful. We treasure and cherish our link with our brothers and sisters in Peterborough Diocese, and I hope we may grow together.”

Out of 80 million Easter eggs sold in this part of the world every year, The Real Easter Egg is the only one which has an Easter story book in the box, is made of Fairtrade chocolate and supports charitable projects. The products made by the Meaningful Chocolate Co might be expanding, but they continue to maintain these items in each of them.

Launched in 2010, the Real Easter Egg struggled as supermarkets refused to carry them. Churches and schools placed orders, however, and today over a million eggs have been sold, with £250,000 donated to charity.

See their website: https://meaningfulchocolate.co.uk/

20

Brian Howard

Mobile: 07789 717176

Phone: 01933 743411 Email: brian@clearandcleanwindowcleaning.co.uk

www.clearandcleanwindowcleaning.co.uk

Carpet Cleaning

Window Cleaning

Gutter Cleaning

Conservatory Cleaning

Solar Panel Cleaning

Fascia Cleaning

2 Redbank Mews Raunds

NN9 6GB

Looking Back at St Mary’s Magazines

25 Years Ago March 1993

Coffee & Gateau

We all enjoyed our coffee and gateau with Pat and Alan Bugby, who generously opened their home to us. £98.40 was raised for Newton Church. Thank you to everyone who supported this activity, especially those who joined us from Rushden and further afield.

_________________________________

50 years ago March 1968

Bread & Cheese lunches

Bread & Cheese lunches in support of Christian Aid and especially in response to their appeal for Vietnam refugees will be held as in previous years during Lent on Wednesdays from 12 noon to 1.30pm in the following centres:

March 6 & 13 – St Mary’s Vestry Hall

March 20 & 27 – Queen St School Rooms

April 3 & 10 – St Peter’s RC Church Hall

21

P. G. SAVAGE PAPERHANGING

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING

FREE Estimates & Advice Given Reliable Service

01933 316278 10, Wymington Rd, Rushden, Northants

PAINTERS & DECORATORS

WITH

OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE

AVENUE SALON

ABBY STANNARD

LADIES’ HAIRDRESSER WITH OVER 14 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE

Reductions for seniors Mondays & Tuesdays

166 Avenue Road, Rushden, NN10 0SW 01933 317632 07784 258795

Lasting Powers of Attorney Accident or illness can strike at any time.

If you suffer a loss of capacity to make decisions, what safeguards to protect

your loved ones have you made? Can they manage your affairs if you are rendered incapable of doing so?

For confidential advice on Powers of Attorney Contact us today to arrange a FREE initial consultation.

Stephen Wilkins - 01933 426266

22

GENTLEMEN’S HAIR STYLIST

40-42, HIGH STREET SOUTH RUSHDEN

6 FULL TIME STYLISTS

Walk in or for appointments ring

01933 356483

PARKING

OPPOSITE

£5 million

public liability

insurance

Rushden based

John Hadley tel: 07973 828897

email: jjhadley71@gmail.com

Hadley Woodland Management hedge trimming

pruning - tree removal

seasoned woodland logs

hedge & tree planting

small woodland

management

& conservation

J B NOBLE OPTICIANS Est. 1963

Affordable Family Eye Care

Celebrating 50 years in our community

37 Church Street

Rushden

312551 www.nobleopticians.co.uk

Vikki’s Hair & Beauty

£5 off with this advert (but no need to cut it out and spoil the magazine!)

Rushden & Newton Bromswold WI

Thursday 8 March Ray Wood, Antiques for Everyone

Competition - a treasured item Thursday 12 April

Angela Stokes, Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney

Competition -a certificate

All meetings 7.30pm at Rushden Town Bowls Club, Northampton Rd, Rushden NN10 6AN

Visitors welcome £3.50 includes refreshments Contact: 01933 317846

“At some point between verses 3 and 6, I’ll

signal for you to do an Emergency Stop.”

23

Hollis Brothers High class butchers

44 Duck St. Rushden

357763 Friendly, personal service

PETER TOMAS Comprehensive Glazing Service

Boarding Up & Property Secured

Property Maintenance

Garage Doors Installed

Tel: 359688

PETER DRAPER Photographic

* PASSPORT PHOTOS * BINOCULARS * TELESCOPES

65, High St, RUSHDEN 419909

P. W. HOUSE 54, High Street, Rushden

Rushden’s Family Jeweller For over 60 years

Tel: 418877

The Distinctive

Jeweller

R J Smith & Son

Shoe Repairs Engraving

Gifts Locksmiths

Watch Straps & Batteries

Barnes Tree Services All types of tree work undertaken

01933 356205

A . ABBOTT & SONS PERSONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS

BEDFORD ROAD, RUSHDEN

‘Owned and operated by the Abbott family for four generations’

Tel: Rushden 312142 24 HOUR SERVICE TO ALL AREAS

Private Chapel of rest, Service Chapel, Catering suite,

Memorial display, Floral tributes Pre-paid plans available Est. 1885

www.abbottfunerals.co.uk info@abbottfunerals.co.uk

RUSHDEN SCHOOL OF MOTORING Tel: 312874 4 Hall Avenue, Rushden, NN10 9ET

Practical and theory tuition in manual and automatic cars

Probably Rushden’s oldest established driving school: 1957-2018

24

Belfry Gossip

Sunday morning service ringing continues, although recently it has been on fewer bells than normal. This is due to various reasons: sickness, holidays and the happy event of childbirth. Vlad’s wife, Lucia, gave birth to Ezra, a brother for Ruby. We celebrated this with an Evensong Quarter Peal. A second Evensong Quarter Peal during the month was for Pam's birthday.

Other ringing during the month occurred when the Northants Mid Week group visited and rang at St Mary’s a few Wednesday's ago. This group meets once a month, moving to a different tower each time. Pam organises the group and it attracts ringers from all around, sometimes even as far afield as Lincoln. It is a nice ringing and social afternoon.

The Wellingborough Branch of ringers held a practice at Stanwick (6 bells) and the main event of the AGM at Earls Barton (8) which took the normal format of ringing, service, tea, meeting and then more ringing. During the meeting, 2017 was reviewed, with reports of our year's activities. Four new members were then elected into the branch and First Quarter Peal certificates presented to five ringers.

The election of Branch Officers saw three of St Mary's ringers remaining in the positions they previously held, so we are still well represented. A programme of ringing for the next year was presented and discussed, and with only minor amendments was accepted subject to locations being available when required. News and other information from around the branch, and thanks to everyone for coming, concluded the meeting.

An unexpected interruption of the evening occurred in the tower when a handbag was placed on the top of the clock weight case in the upstairs ringing room; it promptly disappeared down to the ground because there was no top on the case. Attempts to 'fish' the bag out with a hook on a long rope were amusing to watch but unsuccessful. The bag was finally retrieved the following day by removing some panelling at ground level. There are now plans to cap off the unused case. Ringing then resumed until about 9:00pm.

Tintinnabulum

25

March 2 Friday: 2pm—Women’s World Day of Prayer at Park Rd Baptist Church

7 Wednesday: 12-1pm—Lent Lunch in the Hall; 1pm meditation in Church

11 Sunday: Mothering Sunday services at St Peter’s Newton (10am)

and St Mary’s Rushden (9.30am)

14 Wednesday: 12-1pm—Lent Lunch in the Hall; 1pm meditation in Church

14 Wednesday: 2.15pm--St Mary’s Ladies’ Group AGM in the Church Hall:

Guest Speaker— Lynda Needle

19 Monday: 8pm—Quiz Night in The Swan, Newton Bromswold (see pg 11)

21 Wednesday: 12-1pm—Lent Lunch in the Hall; 1pm meditation in Church

27 Tuesday: 7.30pm—St Mary’s Annual Meetings: in the Church

28 Wednesday: 12-1pm—Lent Lunch in the Hall; 1pm meditation in Church

29 Thursday: 7pm—AGAPE meal in the Church Hall (see page 13)

30 Friday: 9.30am—All Age Good Friday Service in Church

30 Friday: 2.00pm—Good Friday Meditation in Church

31 Saturday: 9.30 –3.30—Easter Holiday Club in the Church Hall

31 Saturday: Sanctuary 10th Anniversary celebration Full Gospel (see pg 13)

April

1 EASTER SUNDAY! (see pg 27)

11 Wednesday: 2.15pm--St Mary’s Ladies’ Group in the Church Hall: Guest

Speaker—Chris & Colin Rowe, “Coast to Coast”

14 & 15 Sat & Sun: 2-4pm—Cowslip & Fritillary Days, Newton Bromswold

plants for sale and afternoon tea.

Diary

26

Crossword No 344

Solution to Crossword No 343

ACROSS 1 Ancient holy city (9) 8 Large sea (5) 9 He visited Jesus by night (9) 10 Holy table (5) 11 Riff-raff (3,6) 14 A sport (anag.) (6) 15 Mournful song (6) 17 Alpine flower (9) 19 Anthem (5) 21 Font’s contents (4,5) 23 Headdress (5) 24 Insectivorous squirrel-like animal (4-5)

DOWN 1 He was swallowed by a whale (5) 2 Shakiest (8) 3 Sorrowful (3) 4 Limply (6) 5 Rules given by Moses at Mount Sinai (6,3) 6 Faction (4) 7 Opening anthem (7) 12 ‘__ ___ ___ wilt not let me go’ (hymn) (1,4,4) 13 One of the clergy (8) 14 Archbishop (7) 16 ‘___ __ the old, old

story’ (hymn) (4,2) 18 Corn stalks (5) 20 Amphibian (4) 22 Used to be (3)

27

St Peter’s Newton Bromswold

4 March—Third Sunday of Lent 9.30am 11.15am 2.00pm 6.00pm

All Age Communion Service Morning Prayer Short & Sweet Evening Worship

10.00am Family Service

11 March—Mothering Sunday 9.30am 11.15am 2.00pm 6.00pm

Mothering Sunday Parade Service Holy Communion Short & Sweet Reflective Worship

10.00am

3.00pm

Mothering Sunday Service

Evening Prayer

18 March—Fifth Sunday of Lent 9.30am 11.15am 2.00pm 6.00pm

All Age Service Morning Prayer Short & Sweet Holy Communion

10.00am

Family Communion

25 March—Palm Sunday 9.30am 11.15am 2.00pm 6.00pm

Informal All Age Service Morning Prayer Short & Sweet Evening Prayer

10.00am

3.00pm

Pete’s Pack Holy

29 March—Maundy Thursday 7.00am AGAPE supper (see page 13)

30 March—Good Friday 9.30am 2.00pm

All Age Good Friday Service Good Friday Meditation

Also Weekdays @ St Mary’s Mondays 10.00am Bumps & Babes @ Church – every week in term time Thursdays 10.30am -- Holy Communion [BCP] – every week Thursday 7.45pm --- Prayer, Praise & Presence -- third Thursday of the month

Services for March 2018

Spring forward (BST begins)

28

— The Back Page —

16 12

18

14

17

13

6

19