Milton Parish Church

December 2014 40p

Parish Magazine

Oh ye who read this truthful rime From Flanders, kneel and say: God speed the time when every day Shall be as Christmas Day.

A Carol from Flanders Frederick Niven (1878-1944)

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F r Brian writes...

HOLD FIRE!

Christmas Eve 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the unofficial Christmas

Truces of 1914. Although they have acquired a mythic quality, the fact that

the truces actually occurred is attested to by numerous written records of

the time, not least the diaries and letters home of those who participated.

The truces commonly began with German soldiers and officers putting up

Christmas trees, shouting or writing Christmas greetings, and singing songs

recognisable to their British counterparts such as Stille Nacht (Silent Night).

From these beginnings, troops met in no-man’s land to bury their dead,

exchange gifts and souvenirs, share festive food and drink, give cigarettes

and cigars, sing and entertain each other, swap names and addresses, take

photographs of each other, play football (according to some letters home),

and conduct joint bilingual Christian services. These were not isolated

incidents but were widespread right down the front from the North Sea to

Switzerland.

Crucially, they were made possible by shared traditions of Christian

celebration of the birth of ‘The Prince of Peace,’ whose death and

resurrection brings humanity ‘peace with God’ (Romans 5:1), thus making

‘one new humanity’ out of former enemies (Ephesians 2:14).

The truces were quashed by orders backed by threats, and by replacing

troops with men ‘untainted’ by the truce, including soldiers from the wider

Empire who didn’t share the tradition of celebrating Christmas.

Here are the words of one man at that time...

“After the 19th December attack, we were back in the same

trenches when Christmas Day came along. It was a terrible winter, eve-

rything was covered in snow, everything was white. The devastated

landscape looked terrible in its true colours - clay and mud and broken

brick - but when it was covered in snow it was beautiful.

Then we heard the Germans singing ‘Silent night, Holy night’,

and they put up a notice saying ‘Merry Christmas’, and so we put one

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In our Carol Services and orship we will recall once again Christ’s title as

Prince of Peace; we will hear again the angels’ song of ‘Peace on earth and

goodwill to all people’; and we shall be reminded of the mission of the

Messiah was to ‘guide our feet into the way of peace’.

I invite you to come and pray with us for the peace of the world, upheld by

justice; that wars may cease and negotiation replace fighting to resolve

conflicts.

God bless you and those whom you love this Christmas time and through-

out the coming year.

Your friend and priest,

While they were singing our boys said, ‘Let’s join in,’ so we joined in

and when we started singing, they stopped. And when we stopped, they

started again. So we were easing the way.

Then one German took a chance and jumped up on top of the

trench and shouted out, ‘Happy Christmas, Tommy!’ So of course our

boys said, ‘If he can do it, we can do it,’ and we all jumped up. A

sergeant-major shouted ‘Get down!’ But we said, ‘Shut up Sergeant, it’s

Christmas time!’ And we all went forward to the barbed wire.”

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Lest We forget

Private Harry Grindley is the last Service Man to be recalled in our Book of

Remembrance for those men of our parish and families related to Milton.

It has been an honour and privilege –sometime heart braking—to read of

their service to King and Country. May They Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory.

Amen, Milton PCC

GRINDLEY Harry 51107

Private

17 Battalion Manchester

Regiment

4 December 1918

100 CLUB DRAW

If you wish to renew your subscription to the draw, I shall be starting to

collect payments in December. New members are always welcome, as are

those wishing to subscribe to an additional number in order to raise

valuable funds for the church and increase their chance of winning a prize!

If you can pay the full 12 months (£12.00) all in one go either by cash or

cheque (made payable to Milton PCC) this would be very beneficial,

although the option to pay quarterly is still acceptable if this helps.

Since I only attend the 10am Sunday services and don’t come into contact

with a lot of our parishioners, when you give me your payment could you

please put it in an envelope and write your name and either your address or

telephone number on the front, so that if you are a winner I can contact you

and hand over your prize as quickly as possible!

Please hand your envelope either to me or the Wardens (Alice Mottershead

and Philip Such). If you have any problem in getting your subscription to me

or have any queries, please do not hesitate to call me on 01782 541291.

There is an answer machine on this number.

Just to remind you, the draw takes place on the 1st

Sunday in each month

and the prizes are:

Thank you.

Tracey Stanyer.

1st

Prize £25

2nd

Prize £15

3rd

Prize £10

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READINGS & PRAYERS ROTA FOR

DECEMBER

Sunday 7th

Isaiah 40. 1-11

Psalm 85. 1-2, 8-13

2 Peter 3. 8-15a

Mark 1. 1-8

10am:

Reader: A. Mottershead

Prayers: T. Stanyer

Deacon: D. Simcock

Assistant: P. Such

4.30pm: Eucharist

Reader: C. Nixon

Sunday 14th

Isaiah 61. 1-4, 8-11

Psalm 126

1 Thess. 5. 16-24

John 1. 6-8, 19-28

10am:

Reader: B. Meigh

Prayers: P. Such

Deacon: D. Simcock

Assistant: R. Marren

4.30pm: Encounter

Sunday 21st

2 Samuel 7. 1-11, 16

Psalm 89. 1-4, 19-26

Romans 16. 25-27

Luke 1. 26-38

10am:

Reader: M. Whittaker

Prayers: J. Cooper

Deacon: P. Such

Assistant: J. Convey

4.30pm

Carol Service

Sunday 28th

Jeremiah 31. 15-17

Psalm 124

1 Corinthians 1. 26-29

Matthew 2. 13-18

10am:

Reader: R. Marren

Prayers: D. Simcock

Deacon: J. Cooper

Assistant: B. Ashley

January Magazine

The deadline for articles for the January magazine is 14 December. Please leave any

articles at church or send them to: magazineeditor@parish-of-milton.org.uk.

100 Club Draw Winners for November

1st 17 David Reynolds

2nd

55 Mark Johnson

3rd

3 Audrey Dawson

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CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER Little Fishes each Tuesday from 10.30am in School Term time

Holy Communion each Wednesday at 9.30am

Morning Prayer at 9.00am each Tuesday and Friday

Thursday 4th

7.30pm ‘Open to God’ (An informal time of Prayer and Praise)

Saturday 6th

2.00pm CHRISTMAS FAIR in the Church Centre

Sunday 7th

Second Sunday of Advent

8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Jubilate! Eucharist

12.00pm Baptisms

4.30pm Sung Eucharist

Wednesday 10th

1.30pm Hillside School Carol Service in Church

Thursday 11th

6.30pm Centre·Point (prayer time) in the Vestry

Friday 12th

7.00pm Milton Scouts Carol Service in Church

Sunday 14th

Third Sunday of Advent

8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Family Eucharist and Junior Church

4.30pm Encounter

Thursday 18th

6.30pm Centre·Point (prayer time) in the Vestry

7.30pm ‘Opening the Bible’ informal Bible study in the Vestry

Friday 19th

9.30am Milton School Carol Service in Church

7.30pm Leigh Singers Christmas Concert in Milton Parish Church

Saturday 20th

4.30pm Messy Church (ends at 6.00pm)

Sunday 21st

Fourth Sunday of Advent

8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Family Eucharist and Junior Church

4.30pm Service of Readings and Carols

Wednesday 24th

CHRISTMAS EVE

5.00pm CRIB SERVICE for all the family

11.00pm MIDNIGHT MASS of the Nativity

Thursday 25th

CHRISTMAS DAY

10.00am Simple Eucharist with Carols

Sunday 28th

First Sunday after Christmas / The Holy Innocents

8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Family Eucharist

NB NO EVENING SERVICE

Weds 31st

9.30am Holy Eucharist as usual

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As most of you know I returned a short

while ago from Africa where I went with

the diocese as part of the team lead by

David Newsome, Diocesan Director of

Ordinands.

On arrival at Johannesburg and having

picked up two 9-seater minibuses we vis-

ited the apartheid museum, even though

like most of us around in the sixties,

seventies and eighties, I have memories from this side of the world. Seeing

it like that was shocking—being that close to Soweto and being able to see

it just a few hundred meters away seemed surreal.

Even today there are continued problems in post-apartheid in South Africa:

blacks still live in relative poverty, townships still exist where electricity is

sporadic, toilets are generally outside or if inside water to flush is also

sporadic. Water to wash is often a 2 litre jug and a flannel. But the fellow-

ship and community is vibrant.

On the other side, in the white population the majority of the houses are

spacious and have all amenities, often including a pool. But these people

live locked behind razor wired gated communities and they have real fear of

leaving or of anyone getting in. These divisions are no longer enforced by

government or police but by fear of the unknown and economics.

Myself and my colleague, Alison, stayed with a white Afrikaans family, the

Trautman’s, Rob and Sharon; we also spent a lot of time with Jacque the

Anglican priest and his family. We were put there, I now believe, for two

reasons, firstly, for Rob to show us the white side of the coin, where he said

he thanked God every day he was not born black. In his teens he had made

friends with some black boys but they were all picked up by the police and

the black boys kept in custody and he was threatened that he would be

locked up as a dissident if caught there again.

A lady at the church I spoke to said, “they knew apartheid was wrong but

could do nothing about it apart from look after those men and their families

that they employed”. My friend, Rob, continues this, he employs in his

businesses only black people, he replaced a lady employees roof when he

realised she was constantly getting ill due to damp when her roof leaked,

another guy had no home so he converted a part of his warehouse into a

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flat. Rob is also part of a trust that runs primary schools in three townships,

and as part of the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club with has given out seven

wheelchairs to the black community this year. Rob is very proud of the

heritage that the earliest humanoid skeleton is found in Matlosane Diocese

and has no problem with the fact that this ancient ancestor of us all would

most likely have been black.

The other reason I feel God put me in this place was because the Priest,

Jacque, and his wife have a learning disabled daughter and have no-one in

their community they felt they could talk to. I was obviously able to help by

being able to empathise; I watched the relief on their faces to find someone

else who understood.

Jacque and their church have an outreach of going into the communities

and taking bread and fish (tinned pilchards) with a message stuck on it, and

pray with them weekly—something we ought to think of doing ourselves!!

Jacque and his wife are coming to the Lichfield Diocese, to Ellesmere in

Shropshire next year on an exchange with their priest and I am looking

forward to extending the same welcome to them that they gave to us.

I spent those first five days in the ex-mining town of Potchestrom in South

Africa. The whole team at the end of that time were brought back together

at the Bishops house for a Briaa (pronounced BRY) which is the African word

for BBQ. In fact, as we got there the Bishop stood faithfully just like many

men do, and cooked for 25 of us for over an hour—not sure I could see our

Bishops doing that!

The next day we all moved to the Charity Hands at work hub or

headquarters at Neilspruit, seven hours away by road across the other side

of South Africa. For some

of my colleagues it was

bliss to be able to shower

and have separate beds

because they had stayed

with people in the

townships. For myself and

Alison it was a step down

to sharing a room. We had

just one night there and

then travelled to Kaphunga

in Swaziland. This was the

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biggest eye opener, as you will see from the pictures it was barren and

remote, it was cold at nights and blisteringly hot during the day in the

mountains. The facilities here were very basic, three to a room, and sharing

beds. The toilets were interesting… just an upturned bucket affair over a

very deep hole with no flush. And bathing was a large bowl with hot water

from an urn you stood in and washed head to foot, called a bucket bath.

Some of the group got very stressed with the lack of hygiene facilities—

fortunately, I’m used to camping.

We visited the care centre each day where they feed about 50 children daily

with a meal of PAP—which is maize meal or like a thick porridge or

semolina, and whatever vegetables and meat they can get. These are the

most vulnerable children, who have no parents, about half have an aunt or

uncle but they often have children of their own and these children cause

too much strain on the family for them all to be fed adequately, often they

would do without if not for the care centre.

The joy and smiles on these children’s faces at the advent of parachute

games or a skipping rope or better still the last day with them we made

loom band bracelets with them, (they were so quick to pick it up, much

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quicker than me) because just two ladies (who are both unpaid) volunteer

to make the food each day for 50 children, so they have no time to play or

supervise anything other than the food, so 13 people turning up to play was

amazing for them or so it seemed. Most of them were barefoot, and many

of the clothes they wore were tatters—just like Victorian street urchins. The

downside of such a remote community is that these children have to come

from such a wide area, and with little ones as young as 5 having to walk

home at night often through bush paths, we all worried about their safety.

Each day whilst in Swaziland we visited, with the care workers, one or more

of the homesteads, which involved walking 2-5miles to get there and

between homesteads. The set up at most of these homes is a Granny, or

Gogo as she’s called in Siswati, is left caring for many grandchildren, at one

home she had six to care for from 2-15 with no other adult, another had

nine children to care for: a combination of her own younger children, her

dead brother’s two children and grandchildren from two dead children of

her own, no-one talks about Aids or HIV but death is another matter: it is

accepted as so natural a part of life it is heartbreaking, so whilst grieving for

her child, a Granny has to take on the full care and responsibility of the

children left behind. I have heard many people suggest that sexual

abstinence or morality is all that is needed to control HIV but 1 in 3 women

in Africa will be raped, she has no control about this, and as Jesus told us,

“he who is without sin cast the first stone”, I know I do not fall into the

sinless category...

Whilst at these remote homesteads, most of which have no neighbour in

the surrounding 1-2 miles, we offered to do jobs for these ladies, some

asked us to do a lit-

tle sweeping, some

collecting water and

some grinding the

maize for the day.

Water is largely col-

lected from the

lower part of a

stream, we walked

about as far as from

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church to the corner of Baddeley Green but downhill through ‘bush’ and

collected large canisters of water that was quite clean at first but as you

take it away from the pool it became quite murky. Then of course we had

to walk back up hill carrying it, each canister took two of us to carry it, and

we had to keep stopping. This trip would have had to be repeated four

times for her to get the same amount of water! And she would need at

least three of those buckets daily just to feed and wash herself and the

children.

We ground maize on a piece of equipment that looked as if it was from the

turn of the last century and I guess was probably taken over there by the

British when they colonised the area, they all were cast iron with made in

England on them. It took 5 of us taking turns about 1 hr to grind the maize,

it was such hard work!! We ground into a 2 litre cracking and damaged

plastic bucket, the sort we get paint or catering tubs of food in, we were all

terrified that if we dropped or knocked it off the grinder a days food would

be lost. We were very aware that this was enough for ONE day, and so this

would all need to be done again tomorrow. After fetching the water at one

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homestead we were asked to take it to the kitchen hut, which was a round

mud hut with a wood fire in the centre, it was reminiscent or iron-age

Britain.

At both the Feeding Centre and the home visits we were always asked for

prayer. The thing that shocked me most I think was the fervour with which

even some of the smallest children prayed and the absolute faith they

placed in having people to pray for them. It was the most heart warming

and spiritual thing I have ever felt. As St Paul tells us in his letter to the

Philippians, “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from

love, any sharing of the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy

complete.” That is how I left feeling, but also broken due to the abject

poverty and plight of these people.

My concerns and worries about the trip were mostly that I should send the

money and let the charity do the work (apart from coming across spiders

and the like, which I didn’t much, but I did have a gecko In my room, and a

couple of mosquitoes around, oh and of course there were the ants in the

bed when I woke up one morning!) But having been there I can see that the

only way the world can know is if we see. And the benefit that those

children and Grannys get from being able to laugh and smile and pray with

someone is like gold to them. So I ask you to pray for Florence, a Granny in

her seventies, struggling to walk and cope alone with two little boys of 7

and 8; for Nessa and her family with one child with persistent diarrheal

illness and one I think may have rickets. I pray that the charity will take him

the 5 miles to a clinic for vitamins. And for Neva, a 5 year old in a South

African township who has lost both parents and is so, so poorly he may not

live for much longer.

St Paul also says “Let

each of you look not to

your own interests, but to

the interests of others.”

this is something I hope I

have done, and with the

help of God will continue

to do.

Gill Marren

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A Message of Thanks

Once again I would like to put on record my grateful

thanks to Linda Lewis for the help she gives me

throughout the year, particularly at Easter and Christ-

mas where the organ is in almost continual use!

Thanks are due to her also for her musical contribution

on the first Sunday of each month at the Jubilate Eucharist’s.

So – thank you Linda, and Merry Christmas to you!

Peter Sherrat

We would like to thank all readers of

our church magazine, your continued

support is very much appreciated.

May we wish you all a Happy Christ-

mas and a peaceful new year.

From the Magazine Team.

Once again, thank you to everyone

who donates their ‘spare change’ to

our Churchyard fund. This year the

amount passed to me is 3120.70.

This is very much appreciated as it

helps us to keep the Churchyard tidy.

Thank you,

Iris

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Recipe of the Month

December sees the celebration of the feast of St Nicholas on 6 December.

St. Nicholas’ Day in Greece brings a round of name-day parties for children

named in the saint's honour. As Nicholas (Nikolaos) is a popular name,

there are many stops as people make the rounds from house to house.

Adults are served brandy, wine and seasonal sweets, like this Fig and Apri-

cot Orange cake. This Fig and Apricot Orange Cake is better on the second

day, so it is good to make it a day ahead.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Brush a deep loaf pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper

that comes up out of the sides of the pan by at least 2 inches.

3. Sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda,

kosher salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Sprinkle in the orange zest and stir

to distribute evenly.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sugar. Add the dry

ingredients with the orange juice and brandy and stir until just

Olive oil 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup almond flour 2 ½ tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon baking powder 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon baking soda ⅔cup granulated sugar

1 large pinch kosher salt ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 ½ cups orange juice (preferably

fresh squeezed)

extra orange zest for serving, in nar-

row strips

½ cup black raisins ½ cup chopped dried figs

½ cup chopped dried apricots icing sugar for dusting

½ cup brandy or 2–4 teaspoons brandy extract or ½ cup apple juice, white

grape juice, or water

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combined. Add the walnuts and dried fruit and stir briefly to com-

bine.

5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, place the loaf pan on a sheet pan to

protect oven from overflow. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1

hour – 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer comes out of

the centre almost clean.

6. Cool cake on a rack for at least 30 minutes before removing from pan.

Just before serving, dust with icing sugar through a sieve. Slice and

serve drizzled with warm wine syrup and topped with a few slivers of

orange zest.

WINE SYRUP (optional)

2 cups red wine

1 cup granulated sugar

4 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise pod

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1 lemon

1. While cake bakes, make the spiced wine syrup:

2. In a medium pan, combine the wine, sugar, spices, and citrus zest..

3. Place over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer over

low heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain and reserve.

Brasses Rota 2014

December Terry and Pat Hopewell

Altar Linen Rota 2014

December Iris Johnson

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THE LEIGH SINGERS

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

MILTON PARISH CHURCH

Friday 19th December 7.30pm

Tickets £3 [or pay at the door]

Includes Refreshments

ST BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, NORTON-LE-MOORS

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

Friday 12th December 3.00pm—6.00pm

Saturday 13th 11.00am—7.30pm

Sunday 14th 12.00pm—6.30pm

ADVENT STUDY COURSE

Christmas—the story we all know...or do

we?

Come and explore in this Advent study being held in

Leigh Memorial Chapel on Leek Road

MONDAYS 1st, 8th and 15th DECEMBER at 7.30pm

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Another year is nearly over, where does the time

go? For our November meeting we introduced

Marion Baldwin from Hilderstone. Marion's talk

was entitled "Christmas Scenes and Characters",

she took us back to the halcyon days of the mid-

20th century when pleasure was taken around the cosy, firelit hearth and

Christmas gifts where often handmade. Christmas was, for some, the only

time that alcohol was brought into the house when the ladies would

become pink cheeked from too much sherry and games like Blind Man's

Buff and Postman's Knock allowed young girls to get close to a young man

for whom they had a fancy.

An animated Marion acted several scenes, mainly humorous, of a children's

nativity play where a young Innkeeper forgot his lines and improvised saying

he was "Full up" and Joseph replied "Can't be, we have booked!" and of a

Church service when an inebriated band woke from their slumber and

launched into a jig forgetting where they were!

Next month, December, we will be holding our Christmas Party.

Best Wishes

Jill

Month Date 8am 10am Evening Service

December 7 C. Salmon R & G Marren H. Boote

14 D. Clarke G. Jolley &

A. Barber

-

21 R. Owen E. Durber &

D. Brazier

J. Hussey

24 Crib Service: M. Whittaker, R. Marren, D. Wright

Midnight Mass 11pm: C. Salmon, R. Owen, E. Durber,

A. Mottershead

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28 R. Owen M. Such &

A. Motterhsead

-

Services TBA

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MILTON CHURCH WORSHIP www.parish-of-milton.org.uk

SUNDAY

8.00am Holy Communion

10.00am Jubilate! all-age Communion on the first Sunday

10.00am Family Communion & Junior Church (all other Sundays)

4.30pm Holy Communion (on first Sunday)

4.30pm Evensong (on third Sunday)

4.30pm ‘Encounter’—informal service on 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays

TUESDAY

9.00am Morning Prayer is said in church

10.30am Little Fishes for pre-schoolers and their carers during term time

WEDNESDAY

9.30am Holy Communion

THURSDAY

7.30pm Open to God—an hour of informal prayer and praise in the

Church Centre—on first Thursday of each month

6.30pm Centre·Point—a short time of prayer on all other Thursdays in

the church vestry

FRIDAY

9.00am Morning Prayer is said in church

SATURDAY

10.00am Vicar’s Parish Office in the Centre until 11.00am to arrange

BAPTISMS or WEDDINGS

4.30pm Messy Church on third Saturday each month (ends at 6.00pm)

CONFESSION or COUNSELLING

can be arranged by appointment with the Vicar