St. Andrew’s Psalter Lane Church

An Anglican Methodist Partnership

October - November 2016

Correspondence should be addressed to the Church Office, Shirley House, 31 Psalter Lane, Sheffield, S11 8YL

www.standrewspsalterlane.org.uk

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Contents Who’s Who – Contact details Page 2 Cover illustration Page 3 Letter from Gareth Page 4 Contemplation Page 6 War Memorials Update Page 7 Talking Point Page 8 Church and Community Page 10 By the Book Page 12 Interfaith news Page 13 Global Church Page 14 Food and Feasting Page 15 Gardening Page 16 Church Family Page 18 Theology Everywhere Page 19 Church Diary and Services Page 21 Last Word Page 24

Who’s Who Minister Revd Gareth Jones Garethjones11@gmail.com 250 8251 Local Preachers

Mary Kenward Jandm.kenward@blueyonder.co.uk 281 1284

John Harding John.harding13@virginmedia.com 201 3516 Readers Judith Roberts

Pastoral worker Robertsjm4@gmail.com 236 1531

Imogen Clout Children’s Minister

Imogen.clout@btinternet.com 268 6645

Children & Family Worker

Melissa Simmonds Children’s Minister

Melissa@standrewspsalterlane.org.uk 07818 727811

Ecumenical Church Council Wardens Janet Loughridge

Muriel Roberts j.loughridge@sheffield.ac.uk h.mcrowcafe@btinternet.com

258 4164 255 1473

Stewards Judith Loveman Rodney Godber

jpl@lovemans.me.uk rodney.godber@btinternet.com

255 1125 266 3893

Chair David Body body.david@btinternet.com 268 6645 Treasurer Joseph Dey joseph@dey.co.uk 255 0953 Property Steward

John Cripps cripps@uwclub.net 258 8932

Giving Secretary

Rodney Godber rodney.godber@btinternet.com 266 3893

CHURCH OFFICE – Monday – Friday mornings Administrator Olivia Cox office@standrewspsalterlane.org.uk 267 8289

CHURCH BOOKING

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Caretaker Debbie Thirtle 255 3787 CHURCH ARRANGEMENTS Flowers Barbara Booler john.booler@btconnect.com 258 7697 Music Simon Dumpleton simondumpleton@gmail.com 07734527449 St Andrew’s Hall bookings

John Fieldsend nicrite@btopenworld.com 258 2631

BADEN POWELL ORGANISATIONS – which meet in St Andrew’s Hall Brownies (Mon) Chris Venables chris.venables@blueyonder.co.uk 255 0805 Brownies (Fri) Kay Smith ksmith@chaucer.sheffield.sch.uk 235 9741 Guides (Mon) Jacqui Ford jaxtimford@gmail.com 230 8040 Beavers Simon Collis simonbcollis@hotmail.com 07976601323 Cubs Rich Wain richardcwain@gmail.com.com 07990528783 Scouts Tim Major tmajor@hotmail.co.uk 07914450882 Explorers See www.hallamscouts.org.uk/explorers.html (A District Group which meets at Ringinglow ) Welcome Welcome to all readers of NEXUS. There are links to further information contained within the text and readers may find it easier to access the links by accessing Nexus on the web page of St Andrew Psalter Lane http://www.standrewspsalterlane.org.uk/ Nexus is curated by Anne Hollows 07723407054, anne.hollows@gmail.com This issue of NEXUS covers the period from October - November. It focuses on the church, the community and older people. The next issue will be the Christmas and New Year edition and copy MUST be received by Monday 14th November. If you know of anyone who would like to receive a large print version of Nexus, please contact the Church Office. Corrections and Clarifications Please note changes in personnel and contact details Cover illustration This issue of Nexus has a focus on older people in the church and community. But it also covers the time when we hold our annual Remembrance ceremonies and services. Our cover illustration, a poppy, reminds us that this year our thoughts have focussed on the many Sheffield men who died a hundred years ago on the first day of the

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Battle of the Somme. The history of the Sheffield City battalion records that ‘Within minutes it was as if the battalion had been wiped off the face of the earth. Cpl. Signaller Outram recalled that as far as the eye could see, the last two men left standing on the battlefield were himself and another signaller, A. Brammer. They signalled to each other. Outram turned his head for a moment, and when he looked back Brammer had gone’. There are those in our community who will remember relatives lost that day and indeed throughout that war, which failed to end all wars.

Letter from Gareth Dear friends, It’s good that we are thinking in this edition of NEXUS about the role of older members of the fellowship of the church. Quite rightly, churches often place great emphasis on the presence of children and young people within our congregations and fellowships, and put considerable energy into welcoming and supporting the youngest members of the church. However, it is right that we should also celebrate the presence and contribution of older members. The age profile of most mainstream churches has been steadily increasing over many decades. We can respond to this in two ways, which are not mutually exclusive. On the one hand, we can look at ways of attracting and addressing younger members of our communities; while on the other, we can reflect on all that our older members bring to the life of the church through their presence and gifts. Increasing age brings its challenges, of course. But the later years of our lives can be a time of real significance spiritually. This can be a time when, often without many of the demands on our time of earlier stages in our lives, we may find greater opportunity to reflect, and perhaps to pray. It can also be a time for the wisdom gathered from a multitude of experiences over the years. Traditional Hinduism spoke of four ashramas, or stages of life. You would begin as a student until you were in your mid-twenties. Then you would spend the next twenty years or so as a householder, carrying out your duties to family and society. Following this, you would gradually stand back from the world and share with others the wisdom you had gleaned. Finally, you would withdraw

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into a life focused on meditation and spiritual practice. We have benefited greatly at SAPLC over the years from the qualities associated with these later stages of life, and have always valued our strong links with Southcroft and the close involvement of some of its residents in the life of the church. This rich contribution has been further maintained with the arrival of former members of Endcliffe/Horizon; there was always a great sense of gratitude at Horizon for the remarkable group of people in or around their nineties, several of whom were still playing leading roles in the Friendship Club that met on a Tuesday afternoon, right up until its closure not long before the church itself closed. Two iconic older figures in the Bible are Simeon and Anna, who appear early in Luke’s Gospel and who are celebrated each year at Candlemas. These are two people who have waited for God’s salvation with patience and faith, and who find the fulfilment of that hope in old age. It is not only their wisdom and insight that are expressed in the passage in Luke, but also their receptivity to God’s will. And then the book of Joel, quoted in the Acts of the Apostles, speaks of a time when “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men and women shall see visions, and your old men and women shall dream dreams.” It is a vision of all generations together sharing in the divine energy. We rejoice in everything that people of all ages bring to the life of our church. Love and peace, Gareth

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CONTEMPLATION LIFE BLESSING May the blessing of the Maker be yours, warmth and welcome and stars dancing in darkness, circling you, cherishing you. May the blessing of the Storyteller be yours, justice and joy and bread for the journey, challenging you, inspiring you. May the blessing of the Holy Spirit be yours, wind and fire and a bright shawl of wisdom, disturbing you, comforting you. May the blessing of friends and strangers be yours, angels and saints and little ones playing encouraging you, befriending you. Blessings be yours along your journey; May you be blessed with integrity and courage in good times and bad times. May you be strong and happy and creative. May you be cradled and held in love. Ruth Burgess THE TIME THAT’S LEFT God bless to me the time that’s left: to hold the child, to see another spring, to tidy my room, to forgive and forget, to reach out and befriend, to live my life in peace and joy. God bless to me eternity. Kate McIlhagga

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St Andrews Psalter Lane Church War Memorials – An update

The two marble tablets that commemorate the soldiers of Sharrow Parish who were killed during the First World War are temporarily displayed to the left of the altar in the Chancel of our Church. We know that all the soldiers named on this memorial were local to this area as we have details such as where they lived, as well as their weight, height and chest size. Of the 104 men about a quarter of them were part of the famous Sheffield Pals York and Lancaster Regiment, who were killed on the first day of he Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916. The tablets, listing just the names and ranks of those commemorated, were originally mounted within an oak frame on an interior wall in the baptistery of the old St Andrews Church. They were consecrated on 29th November 1920 by the Bishop of Sheffield. Subsequently, when this part of the Church was removed they and the font were moved to the western end of the nave, with the tables attached to the panelling that adorned the wall and they remained in the location until the building was demolished in 2000. They have been in their present location since remembrance

day in 2014. The plan now is to mount them on an interior wall in the hall-way of Shirley House on Psalter Lane, next to the Church. This means that they will be available with step free access for viewing when the building is open during the working day. They are very heavy and, as the original frame was not kept, his will require a wooden frame to be constructed to support the weight directly on the floor. We have applied to the War Memorials Trust for part-funding to carry out this work, but we do not yet know the outcome of this application. As these stone tablets were unsuitable for external display at the time of the creation of the ecumenical partnership it was decided to dedicate a

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new Parish memorial. This is carved in slate and is mounted on the western exterior wall of the Church adjacent to our Garden of Remembrance. ‘All from this Parish who have died, especially in war. The World Wars of 1914-16 and 1939-45 and other conflicts’ are thus commemorated. For further information about these memorials, please contact John Cripps via office@standrewspsalterlane.org.uk Tel 0114 267 8289

Talking Point Many of us remember times when churches were full of young families. Most churches had large Sunday Schools, Young Wives groups and weekend activities focussed on family life. But all of us who were children in those days have ‘aged out of’ those activities and we are all aware that the demographic of most churches is one where older people are in the majority. But being older is not a simple construct. We are going to see, one way or another, the next president of the USA at best having their 70th birthday in office, or, with no apologies for partisanship, already having passed that milestone. Age, meaning retirement, brings opportunities for engagement in a wide range of community activities. The astonishing membership of U3A in Sheffield and the wide range of activities (32 walking groups and 7 art groups alone – you can even walk and speak German!) demonstrate the active elderly concept. But being older is not always such a cornucopia of possibilities. Indeed U3A in Sheffield has arranged a series of weekend activities designed to provide sociable opportunities for single elders – including Sunday afternoon tea parties. The potential for older people to serve the church in ways that were not possible during their working lives is well known. It is always important to remember that older people can also be people of inspiration – ‘your old men [and women] will dream dreams’. It is easy for those of use who have grown up with technological innovation to forget just how challenging it can be for older people. Yet touch screens and electronic readers can be a real advantage for older users. U3A and Age Concern run technology help services but there are also a number of useful publications: Windows 10 for Seniors and iphone for seniors to name but two.

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So far, so optimistic. But as age creeps on, both physical and mental frailty can develop. Driving, for the nonagenarian in my family, is a major issue. ‘Take away my car and you take away my life line’ – perhaps a slight exaggeration but that is the perception of someone who has been used to being able to go where she wants, when she wants. And that is the problem: growing older means having less control over one’s life and often being ‘done –to’ rather than being the do-er. Becoming used to taking a back seat in church events, struggling to stand at key points in the service, and above all fear that something will go wrong or be forgotten. It is a truism that older people, even 60-somethings, find their memories to be less reliable than they were. But for some older people the forgetfulness becomes more problematic. Forgetfulness is always exacerbated by stress, and the fear factor looms large here. Most older people are fearful of ‘being put in a home’ and for most, indeed, community loving can be supported and sustained. But we also have a real crisis in providing quality residential care where it is needed. Increasingly the forward thinking care providers are looking at ‘bridging projects’ where a combination of day care and home care create independence at lower cost and better outcome than full residential care. Methodist Homes are at the forefront of this, also developing specialist dementia care for those who cannot remain safely at home. There are however assumptions to be challenged in caring for and supporting older people, particularly those with memory problems. It is often suggested that memory work is important – as indeed it is – but which memories and whose choice of props for the work can be an issue. One Local Authority has developed post-adoption counselling for older people. Those women who were forced to give up babies to adoption 60 years ago have sought help only now in coming to terms with what, for some of them, has been subsequent childlessness. Likewise, historical child abuse enquiries have raised issues for others. On a more positive note, wider organisations are seeking to address outreach to older people. While many care homes will play 40’s music, that isn’t everyone’s choice. Scottish Opera is performing a dementia-friendly Marriage of Figaro with adjusted time, sound and lighting and a narrator in November. The Life Changes Trust is supporting a wide range of initiatives in partnership with community organisations (don’t be put off by the front page of its web site which refers to its work with

young people). Sheffield Diocese has worked hard on the topic of the

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dementia friendly church and challenges churches to consider key issues. How do we continue to share a fulfilling and meaningful Christian relationship when our friend no longer remembers our friendship? How can congregations welcome and include members with progressive memory loss who may feel overwhelmed by usual church activities? How can we support those who are isolated as they care for someone with dementia? How might we share the gospel and show the transforming love of Christ with those with dementia who have never known him before? These questions are crucial to the mission and identity of the church. Further information is available at http://www.sheffield.anglican.org/dfc

Church in the Community Next door to St Andrew's Psalter Lane Church is Southcroft, a 'Housing with Care' scheme run by Methodist Homes. Those of you who were members of Psalter Lane Methodist Church will remember how the idea of building flats for independent living on church land came from Joan Hulton, a church member, and how Brian Hiscoe and members of the Property committee negotiated the sale of church land with MHA. Brian, a quantity surveyor, oversaw the entire project. The Ecclesall Circuit worked hard to raise the funds they had promised towards the project and Southcroft was opened by the vice-president of the Methodist Conference, Jenny Carpenter, in 1989. You will notice that I described Southcroft as 'Housing with Care'. I must emphasise that Southcroft is not 'a care home'. Southcroft is all about independent living and each resident has their own flat consisting of a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Since 2009 there have been care staff on site 24/7 for anyone who needs extra help and residents can choose to purchase a care package if and when they need one. Methodist Homes schemes are open to everyone regardless of whether they are people of faith or of none. The only entry qualification is that you must be aged 55+ and retired. Currently at Southcroft our residents are aged between 57 and 98! People come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring a wealth of wonderful experience with them. MHA's mission is to "to improve the quality of life for older people, inspired by Christian concern" and "to nurture each person’s body, mind and spirit to promote a fulfilled life." There are activities most days of

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the week for those who would like to take part. Each Methodist Homes scheme has a chaplain, either a lay or ordained person, who is available to residents and staff of all religious backgrounds and of none, both for informal chats or more serious conversations. The Chaplain's role it to offer support and a listening ear and to organise worship and fellowship groups for those who would appreciate them. Our services at Southcroft are all ecumenical. There is a service of Holy Communion on the second Sunday of each month at 6.30 p.m. (to which church members are also welcome), a short Sunday afternoon service on the fourth Sunday and a Fellowship meeting every Thursday evening with speakers from a wide range of local churches. We are very grateful for the support provided by our volunteers from St Andrew's Psalter Lane Church who help with tea parties, musical evenings and fund-raising events. If you would like further information about Southcroft, please contact the Scheme Manager, Ms Faye Saccomando, 2553978. Judith Roberts MHA Chaplain, Southcroft

Knit and Knatter Mondays 10-12 noon Knit and Knatter. In Shirley House. Contact: Alison Gregg, 2665638. Nosh & Natter Mondays 8th August & 19th September 12 – 2.30pm Do you enjoy chatting and eating? Join us in the Union Hotel, 1 Union Rd, S11 9EF. Bring a friend. Everyone welcome. Contact: Chris Venables tel. 255 0805 email chrisvenables@blueyonder.co.uk or Sue Pass tel 255 6551 The 2016 St Andrew’s Music Festival starts on Saturday 12th November with a concert of Chinese Music starring Shu Jiang who lives in Sheffield. Sunday 13th welcomes the greatest klezmer clarinettist alive today, Merlin Shepherd, and his amazing singer/pianist wife, Polina. We have the Dodworth Colliery Band on Tuesday 15th, the superb violin & guitar

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duo, the Gjylaci brothers, on Thursday 17th and the youngsters of the Sheffield Music Academy on Friday 18thThe festival will end on Saturday 19th, as last year, with the internationally famous Villiers string quartet who have commissioned Sheffield composer, Ray Kohn, to compose a piece for them to play with the virtuoso clarinettist, Victoria Soames Samek. Full details and low cost tickets at www.samfest.uk

By the Book: a focus on ageing Three books with different perspectives on ageing Remind me who I am, again by Linda Grant (1998) Memory is inextricably bound up with present identity. Linda Grant’s 1998 account of her mother’s failing memory and gradual deterioration is part biography and part memoir. As such it includes material about her mother’s history as the daughter of Jewish immigrants to Liverpool alongside a frank account of the complexities and demands of caring for a mother in these circumstances. While it does not make for easy reading, the juxtaposition of joy – indeed laughter – and sorrow mirror the experience of many who have faced this situation. Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper (2015) An unusual tale which might be described as a ‘marmite book’ it recounts 82 year old Etta’s journey on foot across Canada to see the ocean. Leaving just a brief note for her husband, Otto ‘I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. I will try to remember to come back’ Etta becomes, inadvertently, something of a national media star as she travels with her unlikely companion, James. The book moves between Etta’s memories and those of Otto and their long-standing friend, Russell. At times reminiscent of Alice Munro’s work it also develops a fairy tale element when James comes onto the scene. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill (2008) An exhilarating autobiography of a life that has brought many challenges, this book, was published when Diana was 90. She describes, frankly, the trials of decining capacity, of caring and being cared for. Throughout she retains a remarkable sense of humour. She notes "Sitting face to face

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with the consultant our gratitude for having our questions answered as though we were rational adults was so extreme that we ceased to be anything of the sort." And if you enjoy that, her most recent book Alive Alive Oh (2015) recalls a lifetime of memories and the joys of being very old

Interfaith News There is now a joint Interfaith/Quaker noticeboard outside Shirley House. We had a very successful lunchtime Interfaith barbecue on Sunday 17th July in the church garden, which we hope to repeat next year. The weather was beautiful and we managed to keep all the Kosher, Halal , vegetarian and unrestricted food on separate grills. Forthcoming Events at the Interfaith Centre Sunday 9th October- SAPLC Morning Service will be to attend the Quaker Meeting for Worship in Shirley House, followed by tea, coffee and cakes Monday 10th October, 6-8pm Sheffield Interfaith Food & Friendship (bring and share dinner) Thursday 27th October 7.30 pm 'My Sufi Faith Journey' – Wednesday 9th November– book evening. People will speak about books (preferably in our library), why they recommend them, what they mean to people of a certain faith etc. Interfaith week - 13 - 20 November. a) Tuesday 15th November 'Love Your Neighbour'- Show and Tell stories from your scriptures, faith traditions or personal experience that represent 'loving your neighbour', especially those of other faiths. b) Saturday 19th November- Sheffield Interfaith '5 Weirs' Walk. Time and meeting place tbc. Wednesday 7th December Quiz Night. Each Faith to produce questions about their faith; to include a range of difficulty, some light-hearted. Letter from interfaith leaders to the Prime Minister (Monday 12th September)

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We are leaders from Britain’s major faiths: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian. All our faiths compel us to affirm the dignity of all human beings and to offer help to anyone in need. As people of faith, we call on your Government urgently to revise its policy towards refugees. ��The best of this country is represented by the generosity, kindness, solidarity and decency that Britain has at many times shown those fleeing persecution, even at times of far greater deprivation and difficulty than the present day. We rejoice in the mosaic of different faiths and British communities that we now represent. We are proud that in May 2016, in a survey by Amnesty International, 83% of Britons said they would welcome refugees into their neighbourhoods and households. In the face of the unfolding human catastrophe, there are immediate and viable steps that the Government can take to offer sanctuary to more refugees. We call on you to create safe, legal routes of travel, for example by adopting fair and humane family reunion policies for refugees. Under the present immigration rules, a British doctor of Syrian origin could not bring her parents from a refugee camp in Lebanon – even though they were refugees and she could support and house them. A Syrian child who arrived alone in the UK could not bring his parents from a refugee camp in Jordan – even if the child were recognised a refugee and even though his parents were themselves refugees. Families in these situations can currently be reunited only by resorting to desperately unsafe irregular journeys, sometimes ending in avoidable tragedies. We urge you to do more to welcome refugees and to ensure that your Government adheres to four refugee principles. These principles have already been endorsed by over three hundred and fifty judges and lawyers; by the main humanitarian aid and refugee agencies; and by over a hundred and twenty-five economists. These four principles were the ‘charter’ of a demonstration last September 2015 attended by 90,000 people. On 17 September, these four refugee principles will underpin another major demonstration in London in support of refugees: � The UK should take a fair and proportionate share of refugees, both those already within Europe and those still outside it. Safe and legal routes to the UK, as well as to the rest of Europe, need to be established. Safe and legal routes within Europe, including the UK, should be established. There should be access to fair and thorough procedures to determine eligibility for international protection wherever it is sought. All our faiths teach us to alleviate suffering and share with those in need; many of our members and congregants are already active in helping refugees. We call on the Government to do more. Stop Press: A Birmingham Methodist Church is sponsoring a family of refugees from Syria, the first to do so.

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Global Church Make time to pray in the next two months… For people and places caught up in the issues brought to us in recent editions of Nexus -for racism to be driven out of our communities and, in Christian Aid’s words, ‘for an end to the damaging and dehumanising rhetoric that turns people against those in need; for families forced to leave their homes because of devastating drought in the Sahel region or irreversible flooding in the Pacific islands – not forgetting the small victories we may come across. What is termed the ‘refugee crisis’ means in reality thousands of people like us, living on the edge without security of any kind – food, sanitation, medicine, shelter. The Guardian website has a long and harrowing account of the lives of unaccompanied children in the Calais ‘jungle’; once lively, communicative, hopeful and now malnourished, sick, dirty and, worst of all, hopeless victims of broken promise after broken promise. Pray that our government will finally keep its promises, hard won by determined campaigners. The media focus on refugees because they often perceive them as a threat, but let us not forget the others – those to poor to pay the traffickers or for other reasons trapped in the horrors of war, starvation, or both. October 16th is World Food Day. We take ‘food security’ completely for granted, not just the food we need to stay alive but the food we prefer. Pray for people across the world who have never known what food security means. From Christian Aid: Sometimes words escape us and we can feel overwhelmed by the scale of pain. Spend time in silence, bringing the pain to God. Ask him to guide you with words to pray’. Janet Clarke

Food and feasting: Soup and Puddings: the recipe collection If you are still enjoying the courgette glut, here’s a soup and a pudding. If not, they are still pretty cheap at the greengrocer’s or supermarket. In the light of World Food Day, use everything you can! These can be

tasted at the next Soup and Puddings lunch, 2nd October.

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Italian Courgette Soup 60ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp chopped garlic handful basil leaves (preferably Italian), chopped sea salt and ground pepper, to taste 1kg/2¼lb green courgettes cut lengthways into quarters then into 1cm/½in slices 750ml/1¼ pint stock 60ml/2fl oz single cream handful flatleaf parsley chopped 50g/2oz freshly grated parmesan plus extra to serve Cook the garlic, basil, salt and courgette slowly for 10 minutes, or until the courgettes are lightly browned and softened. Add white pepper, to taste, then pour in the stock and simmer for 8 minutes, uncovered. Remove from the heat. Put three-quarters of the soup mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and stir in the cream, parsley and parmesan.To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle over more parmesan, to taste. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad. Courgette and chocolate cake 350g self-raising flour 50g cocoa powder 1 tsp mixed spice 175ml extra-virgin olive oil 375g golden caster sugar 3eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 500ml grated courgette (measure by volume in a measuring jug, but it's about 2 medium courgettes; if using 1 overgrown one, peel first and take out seeds) 140g toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped For the icing 200g dark chocolate, chopped 100ml double cream

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, mixed spice and 1 tsp salt. In another bowl, combine the olive oil, sugar,

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eggs, vanilla essence and grated courgette. Mix the dry and wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the toasted hazelnuts. Line a 24cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 40-50 mins, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

2. To make the icing, place the chocolate in a bowl and bring cream to the boil in a saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until completely smooth and melted. Leave the icing to cool slightly and thicken, then spread it over the cake so it’s covered and the icing starts to drip down the sides. Serve with a cup of tea or enjoy as a pudding with a spoonful of something creamy.

Gardening Notes The English summer has always been unreliable, unpredictable, claim its apologists. I think it lived up to those expectations this year. We have gone from just short of fur coats to, “Well I like it hot but not too hot” and back again, with an emphasis on the cold bits.

On Saturday 3rd September we had an excellent show for Archer Lane Allotment and Home Garden Society. Yours truly did embarrassingly well and that was in spite of a field mouse eating a hole into the Victoria plums I had collected into a bowl by the greenhouse door. My vocabulary left no doubt about my feelings toward it, extending to words I try not to use! The tomato classes gave the judge cause to think about just what was the best, and flower sections looked wonderful. There were two less entrants this year but there were more exhibits. So a good time was had by all. Commiserations to all of those who missed it! The Robin & the Blackcap have been eating the brambles, which were good this year, the Blackcap using my stepladder as a convenient perch. Robins raised a family from a nest in our back yard not noticing the mirror we have on the wall. Last week a parent decided that the rules had changed. (They over winter singly.) So was regularly pecking its reflection trying to drive this persistent interloper off his patch. Open faced, single flowers, rather than doubles, are more useful to the butterflies we love as well as the bees we need. As the year wears on

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they struggle to find food and I feel they will need all the help they can get this year if they are to survive the winter months. Check your pot plants for pests as you bring them in when the nights get colder. The real pest you don’t want to overwinter in the house is the vine weevil. This is a black beetle about 1cm long. They will crawl out and can climb a vertical wall. If disturbed they will drop off and play dead. The larval stage, that eats the roots, is a white grub with a brown head that curls into a C shape when disturbed. I give them no mercy, as they will destroy, cyclamen, fuchsias and primulas if given the chance. A plant can be left with no roots at all. Now is the time to be looking at next year’s plans. If you have got your King’s Seeds catalogue from the allotment society the time is now short to get it back to them. Next year will be better. Bill Atherton

Children and families matters Parent and Baby Group New baby in the family? This could be just what you are looking for. Join our friendly group of parents - Mums and/or Dads with their newborn babies up to 12 months. We meet on Friday mornings during term time 10.00 – 11.30 atSt Andrew's Psalter Lane Church It’s a chance to meet other new parents in friendly relaxed surroundings. Refreshments served - teas, coffees, other beverages and home made cakes. Cost: £1. 50 per family per week Further information Contact Muriel on 2551473 or Jean 2550198

Young SAPLC Sandcastles: Our monthly service for younger children and their parents/carers is on the second Sunday of the month at 9.15. Junior Church: (Pebbles 3-5, Stones 6-10,) is during the main service at 10.30 – apart from Worship All

Together Sundays. Children between 2 and 3 can join in the youngest group (Pebbles) with a parent/carer)

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Rocks A monthly discussion group for 11-14 on the second Sunday of the month, during the morning service (10.30) Boulders is a discussion group for teenagers with breakfast at 9.00 am, normally on the 3rd Sunday in the month. 17th Sheffield Monday Brownies Mondays at St Andrew’s Hall from 5.45pm – 7.15pm. If you are at all interested, please contact me for further information. Chris Venables. 07950 432487.

Church Family We have been delighted to celebrate the baptism of Ava McManus together with Joanne, Gareth and Ethan. Our congratulations and prayers go with those who are about to begin university life: Matt Groves studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Leicester, Ted Mitchell studying Music at Newcastle University, and Izzie Loughridge studying German and Finnish at University College London. We continue to keep John Shuker and George Glover in our thoughts and prayers as they experience health concerns. Theology Everywhere This contribution comes from Revd David Markay, Methodist Minister in Dronfield Nearly fifty years after the “Summer of Love”, will the months we have just lived through be known as the “Summer of Anger”? Vicious terrorist attacks, attempted coups, military crack-downs, heightened referendum rhetoric, political party in-fighting, populist rage, a rise in hate crimes, growing movements of intolerance… It’s been one of the

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hottest summers on record, and there’s no sign of the temperature falling any time soon.

Writing after a week of particularly violent tragedies, the columnist Fidelma Cook turned the focus on ourselves, lamenting, “Life goes on but, oh, at what cost to our souls?” (The Herald, 23 July 2016). Or, as one person I know sighed with exasperation: “How much more of this can we take? I mean, I want to be a Christian and all, but I can feel myself getting swept up in all this anger, almost like I am getting radicalised.” Reflecting theologically on anger – around us and within us — addresses not only the safety pins on our lapels, but the condition of our hearts behind them. It forces us as individuals and congregations to confront the question: “Who would God have us be in the midst of all this hatred?” I have found some comfort in a 3rd century letter in which one Christian described his place in a violent world: “…if I climbed some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see – brigands on the high roads, pirates on the seas; in the amphitheatres men murdered to please applauding crowds; under all roofs misery and selfishness. It is really a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. Yet in the midst of it I have found a quiet and holy people. They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasures of this sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are the Christians – and I am one of them” (from Cyprian’s ‘Letter to Donatus’). What was their secret, that little band of Jesus-followers? I suppose they were not entirely consistent, not always Christ-like, nor “quiet and holy” 100% of the time. But they must have been on to something — enough to be noticed as slightly peculiar and even appealing to those who observed them. Amidst the brigands and pirates of their day, they seem to have been paying attention to Someone else more intently. Prayer has sometimes been defined as ‘paying attention to, stretching towards…listening carefully for God.’ When other voices scream out, our quietness is not a contemplative escape; more a counter-cultural way of listening. Amidst argumentative chatter and loud vitriol, it is not easy to hear the voice of the One who commands Peter to put his sword back in its sheath, or who looks down from the cross at the

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angry faces, and forgives them. With so many other voices clamouring for our attention, his is not an easy voice to catch or to follow. Cyprian’s Christians had to be quiet for a reason. Baptising a little baby one sultry Sunday morning in July felt innocently incongruous after the headlines of the previous week. The parents of the child gave me a prayer they had been inspired to write for the occasion. So, somewhere between asking them “Will you turn away from evil and all that denies God?” and “Will you set before your child examples of faith that through your prayers, words, and deeds, she may learn the way of Christ?” I read their prayer. In it, they thanked God for their daughter and concluded with these words: “We pray for every child, born so full of hope, each one as precious as our own; help us to raise a generation of goodness to build a beautiful future for your wonderful world.” After reading their prayer on that hot morning, the water in the font felt especially cool. In fact, the whole baptism felt different: less show, more purpose; less ritual, more resolve; less ceremony, more faithful defiance against all that is bad. If radicalisation means ‘getting back to the roots’, we were being reminded of our own. We finished the liturgy: “Do you trust in Jesus Christ as Lord, and the Holy Spirit as Helper and Guide?” Response: “With God’s help we will.” https://theologyeverywhere.org/

About our services Sunday Services Normal pattern: 10.30 am Service: 1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays Holy Communion service; 2nd Sunday, Service of the Word; 4th Sunday, Worship All Together Monthly services: 2nd Sunday – Sandcastles at 9.15 am 4th Sunday – Holy Communion at 9.15 am (using the Book of Common Prayer) 2nd Sunday – Holy Communion at Southcroft, 6.30 pm Please note that the bread used in our communion services is gluten free. Both fermented and unfermented communion wines are used. Wednesday Services

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At the 10.00 Communion service on Wednesdays, our practice has normally been to celebrate the life of a “saint” – not always a canonised one, but someone whose life has been suffused with their relationship with God. Having done this for some years, we have decided to alter things slightly and instead to reflect together on a piece of spiritual writing. This may be from one of the Christian traditions, or sometimes from another tradition of faith. The person leading the service will make copies of the piece of writing to give out to everyone. Come and enjoy an oasis of reflective calm in the middle of a busy week, and join us for coffee or tea afterwards. Church Diary & Services OCTOBER Sat 1st 9.30 => Working Party Sun 2nd 10.30 Harvest Festival, Soup and

Puddings lunch

Thurs 6th 9.30 => Working Party Eco Congregation

Sun 9th 10.30 SAPLC at Quaker Meeting, Shirley House

Tues 11th 7.30 Signing of Covenant for the Ecumenical Partnership in an Extended Area between Methodist Church and Church of England

Wed 12th 7.30 Property and Finance Tues 18th 7.30 Church Links Sun 30th 3.00 All Souls Memorial NOVEMBER Sat 5th 9.30 Working Party Thurs 10th 9.30 => Working Party Sun 13th 10.30=> Remembrance Sunday Wed 23rd 7.30 => Leadership team Sun 27thth 10.30 Advent Carol Service; Soup

and Puddings Lunch

NB Saturday 3rd December 9.30 Working Party

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October - November Services 2nd October 27thth in Ordinary Time 10.30 Holy Communion - Revd Gareth Jones 9th October 28th in Ordinary Time 9.15 10.30 10.30

Sandcastles – Imogen Clout @ Quakers Rocks – in SAPL Church

6.30 in Southcroft Holy Communion – Revd Anthony Ashwell 16th October 29th in Ordinary Time 9.00 10.30

Boulders - Narthex Holy Communion & Confirmation- Revd Gareth Jones and Rt Revd Peter Burrows

23rd October 30th in Ordinary Time 10.30 Worship All Together - Judith Roberts

30th October 31st in Ordinary Time 10.30 3.00

Holy Communion – Revd Gareth Jones All Saints Gareth Jones, Judith Roberts All Souls

6th November 32nd in Ordinary Time 10.30 Holy Communion : Revd Gareth Jones 13th November 33rd in Ordinary Time 9.15 10.30 10.30 6.30 in Southcroft

Sandcastles - Imogen Clout Rocks Glenn Evans Holy Communion – Revd Gareth Jones

20th November Christ the King 9.00 10.30

Boulders Holy Communion - Revd Gareth Jones

27th November Advent Sunday Carol Service – Imogen Clout and Judith Roberts

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Last Words How can you respond to Islamophobic Harassment? Here’s advice, reproduced with permission and encouragement.