Malvern Priory MagazineThe Parish Church of St. Mary & St. Michael

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FEBRUARY 2017 ISSUE

Sarah Maxfield-Phillips is 19 years old, a member of Great Malvern Priory and astudent at Dyson Perrins CE Academy Sixth Form, studying for her A-levels. She is aparish representative on Deanery Synod and a member of both the diocesan YouthCouncil and one of the diocesan representatives on the Church of England’sNational Youth Council. The National Youth Council has three representatives onGeneral Synod and Sarah has been voted as one of these.

FRIENDS’ COFFEE MORNINGSATURDAY, 18 MARCH 2017From 10.00amat 6 St Peter’s Road,WR14 1QS(01684 899455)

The Friends ofMalvern Priorywas founded in1949 and, withdonations,legacies andfund-raising, havemade a majorcontribution to themaintenance of the fabricof the Church.

The challenges for 2017 include major renovation ofthe mediaeval windows, re-pointing of much of thestonework and enhancements of the building to allowmore community use. One of the regular fund-raisingevents is the Spring Coffee Morning which this year isbeing held at the home of Rachel and Andrew Huntley,6 St Peter's Road, WR14 1QS.

The event normally raises £400 for the Friends’ fundand this year we hope to exceed that figure—there willbe a tombola, cakes and a range of bric-a-brac for sale.We do hope that you can join us.

MEMBER OF PRIORY VOTEDONE OF NATIONAL YOUTHCOUNCIL'S REPRESENTATIVESON GENERAL SYNOD

The Friends of Malvern Priory

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2017MONDAY, 27 FEBRUARY – SUNDAY, 12 MARCH

Fairtrade Fortnight is the Fairtrade highlight of the year, whencampaigners, businesses, schools and places of worship show theirsupport for the farmers and workers who grow our food indeveloping countries. The theme for 2017 is “It’s time to putFAIRTRADE in your break”.

The food on our tables, the tea and coffee in our mugs, is allproduced by farmers who toil, sweat and slog. However hard theywork to provide the things we depend on, millions of farmers indeveloping countries aren’t paid what they deserve. It’s not a newproblem. We need to amplify the voices of marginalised producersas much as ever in 2017.

When we act together we can change the way people thinkabout trade and the products on our shelves—the Fairtrademovement is made up of ordinary people doing extraordinarythings in their communities for Fairtrade. Your actions as shoppersand consumers demonstrate choices that change the lives offarmers and workers.

Join thousands of others across the UK this coming FairtradeFortnight to help our friends, neighbours, colleagues andcommunities to put Fairtrade in their break and take exploitationout. Look out for publicity on events organized locally in Malvern.

Malvern Fairtrade Group

PRIORY PEOPLE

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IN THIS ISSUEPRIORY PEOPLECOFFEE MORNINGFAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

UNCERTAINTYFROM THE VICARAGEFROM THE EDITOR

SPRING LUNCH BOXCANDLE LIGHT SUPPER

PAWSMENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

WHO'S WHO IN THE PRIORY

THOUGHT FOR THEMONTHORGAN RECITALS 2017WALCHER LECTURE

PRIORY MISERICORDS

LETTER FROM BISHOP JOHNLA NATIVITE DUSEIGNEUR

WOMEN’S WORLD DAYOF PRAYERCHURCH ACTION ONPOVERTY

NEWS OF THE PRIORYBUILDING

ANNUAL CAROL SERVICEVISIT OF THE TESTERFAMILYCELTIC CAPERS

THE ANNUAL PRIORYQUIZ NIGHT

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12 Welcome to the February magazine, and with that, a Happy New Year to you all, as thisis the first magazine of 2017! This year your team hopes to bring you lots more colourphotographs and articles on points of interest in the Priory. We will also be hoping to gofor a more thematic approach, led by the fact that there are always regular seasons inthe Church’s year which can be highlighted, as well as particular events.

This year looks to be full of changes, and these may be for us personally in Malvern, orin the wider world. It will be a year of working out in Britain, Europe and the US, thosemomentous decisions made last year. For us in the Priory family, the news that the Barrswill be leaving us around Eastertime signals a time of profound change for us all. We askGod’s richest blessing on them as they prepare for departure and look forward to thenew challenges awaiting them in Leicestershire—but we know that the many gifts andabilities which they have shared generously with us here will be well used by God intheir new home.

Meanwhile we also look forward to our own set of challenges, aware that change,though it can seem threatening, is also a God-given opportunity to grow. We have beenvery richly blessed, some would say ‘spoilt’ to have Mary and John as such a wonderfuland dedicated team, working together in pastoral and evangelical fields, and later in theyear we will be putting together proper tributes. This is just an initial heartfelt ‘thank-you’to them, at the start of the magazine year.

Chris Shepherd

FROM THE VICARAGEFEBRUARY 2017

FROM THE EDITOR

CHANGE! WHO MENTIONEDCHANGE ... ?!

Dear Friends,By the time you read this, you may already be aware that Mary and I are soon to be on

the move. After just over nineteen years of ministry at the Priory, we shall be moving toministerial pastures new in the Diocese of Leicester, to serve together in the Deanery ofFramland: Mary to serve as Vicar in the Melton Mowbray Team Ministry and DeaneryMinistry Development Enabler, and myself to serve as Rector of the Benefice of theIronstone Villages and Deanery Prayer and Social Responsibility Enabler.

As Mary and I are certainly re-discovering, the prospect of change can be bothexciting and daunting. Any change involves a journey into the unknown. It challengesus to leave behind our 'comfort zone' of the familiar, in order to discover new things.How we respond to change can also be very revealing! During our time in Malvern, ithas been interesting to see how often there seems to be a 'knee-jerk' (and usuallynegative) reaction to change—eg. whether it is the arrival of a 'new' Waitrose store, or achange of name at the Malvern Theatres.

2017 is certainly going to be a year of considerable change for the Priory, as PeterYoung retires at the end of May, and the Priory looks to make several newappointments. While the prospect of such change can be deeply unsettling, theprocess is not helped by any 'knee-jerk' reaction. For example, three negative lettersI've received about the new position of Church Manager fail to grasp the nature of thehuge and increasing demands the Priory faces to sustain what we're already doing, aswell as the vital need to build capacity for future mission-shaped growth. They seem toforget that the Priory had for many years (in Leo Christian) a full-time Administratorwho was effectively the Church Manager. And they also ignore the uncomfortable factthat the Christian faith is all about transformation or change!

In a world of change, only God is unchanging. Those who would follow the Way ofJesus need to allow the Lord to shape us into the people He would have us be, and toco-operate with His Spirit in this process of transformation. For the Christian, 'nochange' is most certainly not an option!

Wishing you every blessing in Jesus Christ, who "is the same yesterday and today andfor ever" (Hebrews 13. 8)

UNCERTAINTYMALVERN SCIENCE & FAITH WEEKEND 20173-5 March at the Chase School andHollymount, Malvern

Malvern Science and Faith Weekendis a multi-disciplinary festival of ideas.It is a weekend of talks, discussion andactivities about what matters with awealth of interesting speakers andactivities. For 2017, the theme isUncertainty. Highly recommended!Check out the website iswww.scienceandfaith.org.uk

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SPRING LUNCH BOXThursday lunchtimes. Bring your own lunch at 12.30 to eatin the Priory. Illustrated talk or concert at 1 pm - 1.30 pm.Tea/Coffee available

February 2nd Concert by Malvern College

February 16th Mucknall Abbey – from Farm toMonastery.Talk by Abbot Stuart. An update on this Benedictinecommunity of nuns and monks, following their recentmove to new premises in Stoulton, near Pershore,Worcestershire.

March 2nd Concert by Malvern St. James

March 16thMountain Flowers of the World Talk by Roger Smith, Mountaineer and Botanist. Abeautiful selection of pictures taken during Roger’sexpeditions around the world.

March 30th Concert by Rococo - Baroque chambermusic group. A programme of elegant and stylish music from 18thcentury France and Germany. Jane Charles, Flute, Kathryn Wheeler, Violin, AngelaCranmore, Viol da gamba and David Brookshaw,Spinet. This Malvern-based group, who play onauthentic instruments of the Baroque era, entertainwith music by composers such as Handel, Bach,Teleman and Philidor.

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CANDLE LIGHT SUPPER at the Lyttleton Well Café

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10th7.00 for 7.30pm

£15.00pp (includes soft drinks)

Language Of Love (French Theme)Amuse Bouche

French Onion or Tomato & Basil Soupe ‘en tasse’

Main CourseCoq Au Vin

(Chicken Breasts in Red Wine reduction—with Bacon &Mushrooms)

Selection Green VegetablesMini Roast Potatoes

DessertTrio delight

(Mini Pot au Chocolat, Tarte au Citron, Profiterole Framboise)Fromages

FinCoffee & Mints

Dietary requests catered for—in ADVANCE please

Vegetarian main: Provence Tarte

Tickets available from Lyttelton Well Office contact 01684 573702

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'Let your light so shine’ - Candle-lighting on 4th December last year.

PAWSWhat did you think of when you read the above word? Putting aside the extremity

of the legs of your beloved Tiddles, does anything else come to mind?For the faithful who place a mysterious envelope on the collection plate in church

each Sunday it has another meaning—one that dates back to the time when TheLyttelton Well was set up, and members of the different churches in Malvern thoughtabout the part they could play in supporting it. So came about the POUND A WEEKSCHEME with its obvious title PAWS. Under the leadership of David and AngelaHighmore who became Priory PAWS Representatives for many years, some of thePriory members have been giving the aforementioned sum at the aforementionedinterval. Now Angela has decided the time has come for her to retire. She will be ahard act to follow, as we record our thanks to her, and to John Barker who has actedin the interregnum until I found myself offering to take on the role.

So, what difference can your Pound a Week possibly make to the running of theLyttelton Well? What does the Lyttelton Well do, besides sitting on the corner near thePriory drive? Its aim is to share the love of Christ in an accessible way. Its cafe must beknown to many for the quality of the food and the helpful volunteers making andserving it. The Bookshop has a wide range of Christian literature and can alwaysobtain what isn't on the shelves even if you go in with half a title or less. And behindthe scenes a counselling service is filling a great need, with just over 700 sessionsbeing held during 2015. There is also the chaplaincy service offering Christianpastoral care to those in need who go in or are brought in by others. Volunteers fromall the churches in Malvern provide these services. All this, and an active partnershipwith the Food Bank, and providing accommodation to a number of groups whosework is directly related to the Well's aims and objectives as a charity.

None of this happens without money. Voluntary contributions from clients and thegeneral public help to swell the profits from the cafe and bookshop, but the runningcosts are high. So could YOU join that army that puts aside £1 each week to help? It's nota fortune, but it can make a difference. If you are able to Gift Aid, your donation will swell.

If you would like to think about this and maybe join in, please have a word with me, in church, by phoning 01684 563272 oremailing edunnett2638@btinternet.com. I look forward to hearing from you; my role is to supply you with the necessary envelopesand keep a record to remind me when your supply will be running out. Finally, a big Thank You to all who are already faithfully giving.

Elizabeth Dunnett

SATURDAY 25TH MARCH 2017“Mental Health Matters:How do we Challenge Stigma andRethink Resources?”

Public discussion & question timewith a first-rate panel andindependent chairperson CouncillorJohn Raine,Chair MHDC.

7.45pm-9.30pm Lansdowne CrescentMethodist Church Malvern WR14 2AW.

Free with further information andtickets online at website:www.eventbrite.co.uk

Reed Contemporary Books havepublished a second, cheaper, editionof Glory, Azure & Gold (The Stained-Glass Windows of Thomas Denny).

The cost is £40 + £6 postage,packing and insurance. Contact JosieReed on 07515 884206 orjosie@reedcontemporarybooks.com.

For your information, the Priory hastwo Denny windows.

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WHO'S WHO IN THE PRIORY

Last month (at the Carol Service forthose working in Malvern) a highlyesteemed and well-loved member ofour retired clergy team referred tohimself and his colleagues with thecollective noun phrase ‘clapped-outclergy.’ Now this phrase may have itsalliterative merits, but in every otherway casts a terrible aspersion onthose who, being ordained, havingearned a good rest after a lifetime ofbeing involved with parishes, haveagain girded their loins and becomeinvolved with parishes, leaving the‘good rest’ for some other time.

The Reverend Tim Gunter shouldperhaps have referred to ‘ReverendRetreads’, as some of them are thevery pillars of the Priory, withoutwhom, etc, etc. And this is likely tocontinue when the inevitableInterregnum occurs.

Tim was born in St Ives (the onenear Huntingdon) in 1937. His fatherwas a vicar and he says ‘it’s in theblood’ as the family traditioncontinues. He felt an early call toordination, although he studiedEnglish Literature first, and wasordained in 1962, before many of thechanges in the Church of England.His first ‘Living’ was in Yorkshire andit was industrial and deferential—vicars meant something in thosedays!—and he stayed eight years. Hedid not at first want to move toSunninghill, the area in Berkshire ofwhich Ascot is part, as he thoughtthe grandees there might not wanthim—but he did, and they did, in1980, and he stayed for 24 years—this was, as he says, his ‘life’s work’.And the people were very friendly!

In Sunninghill, having been sadlydivorced six years before, he met asingle mother with two smallchildren, looking for a church with aSunday School—and in 1984,married her! Liesbeth was born andeducated in Holland and is Dutch.She first came to England in 1972.She had trained as a pharmacist butalso worked with the DiplomaticCorps. With Tim’s three children, thismade a large family and all got onwell. Liesbeth had to adapt to beinga vicar’s wife, a fate which she hadnever imagined possible!

When they left Sunninghill, atChristmas 2003, they felt a little

homeless: where can vicars go?Liesbeth hoped to stay local, butGod’s will was otherwise. Her parentshad moved to Malvern, and hermother, Audrey van Oosten, who willbe remembered by many in thePriory as a wonderful helper andvolunteer, had found life nighimpossible after the death of herhusband, which happened justbefore they were due to leave Ascot.Tim and Liesbeth felt called to behere.

They quickly became involved withMalvern, though not at first with thePriory. Liesbeth became a volunteerat the Lyttelton Well and they areboth PALs. She plays tennis, theyboth enjoy walking and Tim playsthe violin (and has been persuadedto join the Orchestra for FamilyServices, since when he has begun toplay elsewhere too!). They have bothalso been involved with NADFAS(and I am supposed to know whatthis is!—loosely, a Society dedicatedto Fine Arts) and Tim was acommittee member with the CivicSociety.

At first Tim was willing to help inthe Madresfield Benefice before SueIrwin arrived, so he has interregnialexperience. The Priory is their parishchurch, and for 20 years beforemoving here they worshipped at thePriory when visiting Liesbeth’sparents. In earlier days Tim hadknown Bill Richards and JulianCharley. He takes some services,notably the early 8.00am, even if itmeans struggling through the snow!At nearly 80, he feels he should takeit more slowly, so he deliversmagazines, is a PAL and does regularvisiting, in the pasthaving alsovolunteered to help inthe Priory shop as well.

Does he havepassions? Yes, he feelsdeeply that worshipshould be a perfectoffering to God. Hefeels strongly also thatpastoral care is at theheart of the Gospel: ‘ahouse-going parsonmakes a church-goingpeople.’ Hence pastoralvisiting is a priority. He

is a passionate reader of poetry, also,and loves George Herbert, and AlbertSchweitzer.

When I asked for a favourite hymn,the list I got was proverbially endless,and I could only get him to fix on oneDear Lord and Father of Mankind, asa particular childhood love. But hewrote down a long list of about 50favourites—all the good oldtraditional ones. Like Mr Hardcastle inShe Stoops To Conquer, he ‘loveseverything that’s old’—and is notkeen, which is a mild phrase, on mostmodern hymns and worship songs.Favourite scripture? A difficult

question to ask a clergyman,begging the answer, as given by aBeefeater to a lady enquiring whichthe Bloody Tower was, ‘All of it, m’m.’He particularly loves St Paul, though,and all the most glorious bits:Ephesians 1, Philippians 4, and alsothe Prologue to St John—you’ll knowthe form. The Prodigal son, also:those parts of Scripture whichremind us that God is powerful andforgiving in spite of our lostness.

I hope Tim will find satisfying thingsto do in the Priory in the future, and Ihappen to know he would love to doa poetical Evensong, as he is a verykeen reader of poetry, as well ashistory and all other literature.Having been unable to sing for awhile, he is finding his voice again soperhaps we can persuade him to jointhe choir!

And finally, keeping up the familytradition, Tim’s son Ben, at the age of51, will be ordained in York thiscoming July. Please pray for him andhis little family.

Chris Shepherd

TIM AND LIESBETH GUNTER

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"Let us go now. and see this thing … which the Lord has made known to us".The shepherds were left in no doubt that God had spoken to them. Well, aftera host of angels, you wouldn't doubt, would you?! Likewise Mary, Joseph andthe Magi did not doubt.

Some people say that the Lord never makes anything known to them. Othersfeel that it is arrogant to assume that He would, and yet others reckon that itwould be easier to know if you had an angelic messenger. I must confess thatit happens often, that the thing that the Lord makes known to me I don't wantto know! However, my Sunday psalm a couple of months ago used the word"holden" and the margin in my Bible (K.J.V.) translated the Hebrew as meaning"been an arm to" with a cross-reference to Isaiah 33:2—"O Lord be gracious tous ... be Thou their arm every morning".

I gave thanks for all the people who have ‘been an arm to’ me in the last twoyears, and that very morning, as I started to walk down the steps into church,Ian Outram came and just took my arm to help me. It felt like the arm of God."The Lord's arm is not shortened," we read. His long arm of grace reaches downto each one of us every morning. As He links arms with us may we know Hispeace and grow in the knowledge of His grace.

Marje Stanton-Hyde

MALVERN PRIORY ORGAN RECITALS 2017Saturday, 18 February, 12.00 noon

Shean Bowers (Bath Abbey)Shean presents a varied programme of music by Bach, Guillmant, Yon,

Lully and Goss Custard’s famous Chelsea FayreLook out for his full programme in publicity material and on the website:

www.malvernprioryorgan.org.ukLarge screen video projection. Retiring collection for Priory funds

WALCHER LECTURE9 NOVEMBER 2016

Back in November, Malvern Priory was hostto the 2016 Walcher Lecture - as ever, muchappreciated.

This year's topic with the title 'Robots,Drones, AI and All That' took us into the realmof robotics and now the future looks bothinteresting and a little scary...

Many thanks to Professor John Wyatt for hisstimulating talk.

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Around 600 years ago a wood carver (or carvers) created a setof seats for the Benedictine monks of Great Malvern Priory.These augmented an earlier set of monks stalls, or ‘misericords’which had been made for the Priory in the fourteenth century.Under the ledge of each new tip-up seat was carved a scenerepresenting a month of the year. Not all the stalls of the setremain today (three were lost in the 1700s) but the nine whichhave survived are vibrant examples of life in the middle ages.The series is known as ‘The Labours of the Months’ and showsscenes from daily life as lived through the seasonal pattern ofthe year.

Depictions of the cycle of Labours in English misericords areconcentrated in Worcestershire, where Worcester Cathedraland St Mary’s, Ripple also have distinctive sets. Only at Rippledoes the complete scheme survive. At Great Malvern Priorythe misericord showing January can be found on the front rowof the north side (the left as you look at the Communion Table)and is the first in the row as you approach from the nave. Itshows a man seated behind a table on which he rests hiselbows to support an enormous cup in each hand. Each cup isalmost as big as his head and each has a carved angular stemrather like we might see today on a chalice. The man is welldressed, wearing a flat hat over his wavy hair and a cloak witha hood which is fastened at the front with a clasp or brooch.

Sometimes January was represented in carvings by the figureof Janus from Roman mythology: a man with two heads,looking both back to the oldyear and forwards to thenew. Here, the two cupsprobably signify the pastand the future, eachbalanced by the manfeasting as the new yearbegins and the old yearpasses. On each side are the‘supporter’ carvings: doubleroses with beautifullycurving petals. It has beensuggested that these areTudor Roses, but themisericords are thought bythe style of the clothing and

the carving to pre-date the Tudor rose by some decades.Double roses appeared before the Tudor dynasty’s rise topower in 1485; indeed a double white rose appears in thePriory’s east window which experts date to about 1430.

While the identification of ‘January’ amongst the Priorymisericords is fairly clear, February is more elusive. Thesequence of misericord carvings in the Labours cycle isdebated, but writer and academic Dr Christa Grössingerbelieves that the stall showing February in the Priory has beenlost. It may well have been similar to the February stall inWorcester Cathedral which shows a figure huddling by aroaring fire to ward off the winter chill.

Next month: March and it’s time to sow seed…Katherine Wells

PRIORY MISERICORDS: THE LABOURS OF THEMONTHS - JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

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LA NATIVITEDU SEIGNEUR

A few days before Christmas, on the20th December, in a hushed, still anddarkened Priory, a handful of usgathered together to take our seats andbe ushered, in the midst of the hurly-burly of Christmas preparations, into adifferent and wonderful world. PiersMaxim gave us his interpretation ofOlivier Messiaen’s astonishingmeditative cycle based on the birth ofChrist. There are nine separatemeditations and they are not oftenheard together as one sequence, so thiswas a chance to sit quietly and to betransported by the beauty of the music,and enabled with the composer’sguidance to think about the meaning ofthe Incarnation.

Piers showed us the splendid majestyof our glorious Priory organ, but alsocoaxed from this great instrumentmoments which were reverent,meditative and incredibly moving. Theremight only have been 15 or so of usthere, but for those few this was anamazing and emotive experience, as wefocused on the quiet, gentle passages,as well as those which were so nobleand magnificent that it brought tears toour eyes. Many thanks, Piers, for thisgracious gift to us, and for the hours ofwork needed to play so faultlessly whatare very difficult pieces. Few would beable to complete this feat, and we arevery lucky, and very grateful.

Chris Shepherd

LETTER FROM BISHOP JOHN, BISHOP OF WORCESTERAndreas Whittam Smith is best known as the man who started

the Independent newspaper. Equally significantly, as First EstatesCommissioner, he has effectively ‘run’ the Church Commissionersfor quite a few years—and done so brilliantly. He’s steppingdown soon and late last year he addressed the House of Bishops.I was struck by what he said—that he feels more hopeful aboutthe Church of England now than he has done for a long time.

That’s quite something coming from a seasoned old hack likeAndreas and I found it very encouraging. Why did he feel sohopeful? He felt the Church is at long last waking up to the factthat ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option and, more thanthat, is taking bold and innovative steps to reform and renew.

The scale of the challenge is enormous: The proportion ofpeople in our country who have much understanding of theChristian faith, let alone practise it, is declining fast. What isneeded is nothing less than the re-evangelisation of England.That’s not an invitation to despair though, but a challenge towhich, in the power of the living God, we can rise.

One exciting development in our diocese is the Calling YoungDisciples project. Ruth Walker, its director, has already begun herministry here and three Mission Enablers have already beenappointed and will be taking up their posts soon. I hope andpray that their ministry will bear much fruit—not just to reversethe ‘institutional decline’ of the Church but bring people to avibrant faith in the living God revealed in Jesus.

The renewal of the Church is notjust up to them though;responsibility for it lies with us all.Please pray that we may all, asKingdom People, fulfil our vocationto witness effectively to God’s greatlove for everyone in Christ. May Hemake us instruments of his love, hiscompassion, his justice and Hisfreedom.

Bishop John 

9

WE HAVE THE POWER

TO MOVE YOU

WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER2017 - AM I BEING UNFAIR TO YOU?

On Friday 3rd March over 5,000 services will be held in the British Isles on the theme of ‘Am IBeing Unfair to You?’ The Christian women of the Philippines wrote the service and it hasbeen translated into 1,000 different languages and dialects, to be used, throughout thewhole world, on Friday 3rd March, starting at sunrise over the island of Samoa andcontinuing until sunset off the coast of American Samoa.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan—named locally as ‘Yolanda’—struck the Philippine islands in thewestern Pacific Ocean. This is mentioned in the service but you will also hear the stories of agirl, a mother and an older woman, recounting their situations and their hopes and fears. Theservice focuses on the Bible story of the workers in the vineyard: Matthew 20 v 1-16. There isa reflection on the artwork designed by Rowena ‘Apol’ Laxamana-Sta.Rosa. It is very thought-provoking and illustrates contrasting scenes.

Why not find out more about the theme, the Philippines and the service? The Day of Prayeris not just for women. Everyone (and that includes men!) is welcome to attend the service.Locally, services will be held at Holy Trinity Church, Link Top, at 2.00pm and at Somers ParkAvenue Methodist Church at 7.30pm.

Mary Wetherall, WWDP Malvern Committee

At the suggestion of the Priory's SocialAction and Responsibility Group (SRAG),our PCC has agreed to support the work ofChurch Action on Poverty in the comingyear. We will publicise this organisation'sactivities on the SRAG board in the northaisle; this article aims to set the scene.

Church Action on Poverty works withchurch and community groups across theUK to make tackling poverty a priority,using the slogan “It's time to close the gapbetween rich and poor”. The overallimpression of Malvern (and, it must besaid, The Priory) to the casual visitor isdoubtless of a well-to-do community witha comfortable life-style. If that were thecase, why do we have a Food Bank, a NoInterest Loan Scheme, Malvern Credit andDebt Campaign, to name only some of thetown's active bodies? So it would seemthat we can draw on the advice andresources of ChAP as well as supportingwhat it is doing in many different parts ofthe country. As well as educating churchesabout poverty, it also gives people living inpoverty the chance to speak forthemselves, which leads to some prettypowerful reading. It works to formulatepolicies to eradicate poverty, by lobbyingMPs and Government Ministers. During2016, it set up the End Hunger UKcampaign, which will work with nationalpartners to urge the Government to playits part in eradicating hunger in this land. Itis asking us all to think of what PopeFrancis meant when he spoke of “a poorChurch, for the poor”.

All this gives us much to reflect on andpray about: what part is God asking youand me to play in reaching out to others?Maybe these words can direct our praying:

You call us, GodYou call us out of a harsh land and into freedom You call us out of despair and apathyYou call us into a vision of another way of livingYou call us, JesusYou call us into hope and friendshipYou call us to build your kingdomYou call us to break bread with you and with thehungryYou call us, Holy SpiritYou call us to transformationYou call us to shine into the darknessYou call us into the world to change itGive us the strength to follow where you call.Amen

More about ChAP can be found on theChurch Action on Poverty website:www.church-poverty.org.uk/

Elizabeth Dunnett, Priory ChAP Representative

CHURCH ACTION ON POVERTY

10

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NEWS OF THE PRIORY BUILDING In late summer Sally Strachey Historic Conservation (SSHC) carried out a

thorough survey of the exterior and interior Priory Stonework at a cost of£11,500. The work was necessary because masonry had fallen both internallyand externally and we needed to ensure for health and safety reasons that anyother loose masonry was removed, and also because we needed a detailedestimate of repair costs for grant applications for the Priory Plan. We have nowreceived the survey reports (totalling nearly 300 pages!) which provide adetailed account of the condition of the stonework in different areas of thePriory, together with a list of around 600 areas for repair with priorities andbudgetary costs for each.

Unfortunately the documents paint the Priory stonework as being in a poorcondition in need of urgent repair. Problems include:

• Movement and cracking in the South and East elevations with a danger oflarge stones falling from the SW buttress (an area in the Abbey Hotel gardensaround the Priory’s south door has been roped off in consultation with themanager of the Abbey Hotel);

• High levels of dampness (levels which are damaging to stone) in St Anne’sChapel and at the West End (possibly caused by poor drainage and by manyopen joints in the stonework at all levels);

• Continuing decay and delamination of stone (including some replaced in the1980s), in part caused by incorrect use of cement mortar (which has becomebrittle, cracked and loose) in many parts of the building.

As a way forward, SSHC recommend that:• A survey of the drainage around the Priory is conducted and the report given

to a conservation-accredited structural engineer who is asked to makerecommendations concerning the cracks in the East and West ends, stabilising orrebuilding the SW buttress and also the wall behind the steps to the porch room;

• Water ingress is reduced within a two-year period through a rollingprogramme of repairs to all elevations at clerestory and lower level;

• A programme of repairs to the tower is developed over the next 20 yearsusing rope-access to save the huge cost of scaffolding. This should includearound 12 man-weeks/year over the next ten years to treat priority areas.

The funding required for the Priory Plan is now becoming clearer. SSHCestimate that the cost of stonework repairs will be in the region of £1.5M plusthe considerable cost of access (scaffolding) and VAT. To this must be added theestimate of £2.0M + VAT from York Glaziers Trust for conservation of themedieval windows and the cost (yet to be determined) of improving thebuilding’s facilities. Consequently, the Priory Plan Steering Group has submittedan enquiry to the Heritage Lottery Fund ‘Heritage Enterprise’ grant programmesetting out the scale of work needed to sustain the Priory. The Group is alsoupdating the Priory Plan to include the results from the recent stonework andstained glass surveys.

Howard Wells

11

A note about subscriptions due for2017 for those that want theirmagazine delivered - £10 – to becollected by distributors.

Produced by Bertie B Design and Printdiane@bertieb.biz

MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTIONSPlease send all contributions for the magazine by email whenever possible to mag@greatmalvernpriory.org.uk with the deadline of the 10th of the previous month atthe latest. Written articles should be clearly marked "Magazine" and placed in the "M" pigeonhole at the back of the Priory. The deadline for these is the 8th of theprevious month. Contributions should be limited to a maximum of 500 words and, where accompanied by relevant photographs, reduced accordingly. Wherephotographs of young people are provided, please confirm that parental permission has been obtained to publish in this magazine. Articles will also be considered forinclusion on the Priory web site - if for any reason this is not acceptable, please mention when submitting articles. Some photographs, especially of young people, maynot be published on the web pages.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from Malvern Priory

LYTTELTON WELL (Christian Centre at entrance to Priory)Tel: 573702E-mail: office.info@lytteltonwell.co.uk Enquiries about Priory bookings of the LytteltonRooms should be made at the Priory Parish Office(see contact details)Lyttelton Well Counselling & Listening ServiceTel: 563456

PRIORY PARISH OFFICEChurch Street, Malvern WR14 2AY Church Secretary:Mary WeatherillTel: (01684) 561020 (answerphone) Email: office@greatmalvernpriory.org.uk Open to Public:Monday 11:00am-12:00 noon; Tuesday 10:00am-12:00 noon; Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 9:30am-1:00pm

GREAT MALVERN PRIORY WEBSITEwww.greatmalvernpriory.org.uk Webmaster:webmaster@greatmalvernpriory.org.uk For information on services, events, outreach, peo-ple, history and much more. Members’ section givesaccess to the notice sheet and other informationnot publicly available. Register or Login to access(link at top of all pages except the Home page).

LYTTELTON WELL CAFÉ,CHURCH STREETNEW YEAR OPPORTUNITIES

The Lyttelton Well Café has vacancies forvolunteer preppers to help the morningcook prepare for lunch service.

If you have experience with helping atchurch functions, cooking for a family orjust an interest in helping in an openkitchen then this could be for you.Currently we have a vacancy on Tuesdaymornings, 8.30-11.00ish; full training andsupport offered. Similarly, Fridaymornings need a job share prepper(every other week).

Volunteer waiting staff are alsowelcome, we have some regular shiftsthat require filling but also need someflexible ad hoc volunteers to coverabsences.

We also have a volunteer slot onSaturdays 12.00-2.30 which is suitable fora young person (Y12 and above)requiring hours for Duke of Edinburgh orsimilar scheme. Please call in and speak toany member of staff who can offer furtherencouragement and details or contactthe Well on 01684 573702.

THE ANNUAL CAROL SERVICE FORTHOSE WHO WORK IN MALVERN

A tradition (it can be called that after seven years) has been established at thePriory. A special pre-Christmas service for people involved in trade andcommerce, who are not necessarily regular worshippers, takes place on theSaturday evening before Christmas, just as the shops are closing.

The Priory Parish is surprisingly small, but personal invitations are delivered to allwho work within its boundaries. In the first year, 2010, there was a heavy snowfall,but an encouraging number of brave and tired-looking people came. This yearthere may have been about eighty. The atmosphere is always lovely, with heartysinging and faces wrapped in smiles.

The original idea came from the Revd Tony Whalley, and three or four otherretired clergy participate. Usually there is a Christmas Bible Reading by one of thecongregation, and the Choir appears in strength to lead the singing. They havemany other services to lead, so it is very good of them.

As the worship ends there are refreshments of a Yule-tide nature, very kindlysupplied and served by Ann Oldfield and friends. Long may this special Servicethrive.

(Revd) Tim Gunter

CELTIC CAPERSThere will be a Celtic-themed

celebration in the Priory on Saturday 4March at 7.00pm with hot supper, funand entertainment provided by you! Ifyou would like to do your party piece,please contact Helen Wall on 01684562229. Tickets will be on sale soon.

VISIT OF THE TESTER FAMILYON SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY

On Sunday 12 February, we shall bewelcoming our new CMS missionpartners Paul and Sarah Tester,together with Sophia, Emily, andAnnabelle, on their first 'official'partnership link visit to the Priory.Paul and Sarah will be speaking at the10.30am Altogether Worship, andafter the service (circa 11.45am) willgive a PowerPoint presentation in thenave about their work in Peru with anopportunity for questions. This willthen be followed (circa 12.30) by aBring & Share lunch in the UpstairsHall of the Lyttelton Rooms, to whichall are most welcome.

12

Mobile

Foot Carer

GAYNOR-SMITHO W E N & C O.

S O L I C I T O R S

Solicitors andCommissionersfor Oaths

Opening Hours: 9.00 – 5.30pm,MON – FRI. Out of hours: Saturdaymornings by appointment

133, Barnards Green Road, Malvern Freephone: 0800 6191837www.gaynor-smith-owen.co.ukinfo@gsolaw.com

WE COVER MOST ASPECTS OF THE LAW

WorCeSter ConCert ClUB 2017 SeaSon

HuNTiNgdON HaLL, deaNSWay, WORCeSTeR

26 february 2017 at 3.00pmBenjamin frith – Piano

Recital includes works by Haydn, John Field, Chopin,

Liszt and Schumann

19 march 2017 at 3.00pmmusical and amicable Society

(Sophie Barber, Christiane Gagelmann & Kate

fawcett, Violins; Henrik Persson, Cello;

martin Perkins, Harpsichord)

Concert includes works by

Schmelzer, Marini, Telemann,

Purcell, Pachelbel

and Fux

General InformatIon

• Non-members are welcome to all events • Single-ticket prices for

the main series of afternoon concerts are £16; Students £5.00

• Members may bring one guest for £14.

• Tickets are available from the Box Office on 01905 611427

THE ANNUAL PRIORY QUIZ NIGHT – NOVEMBER 2016The Annual Quiz was once more a triumph. The Lyttelton

Rooms were packed with about 12-15 teams, eachcomprising four or five people, and each blessed with aquirky name. The competition was hotly contested, severalteams vying for the prize, and as results came in there werecries of ‘Oh!’

Our QuizmasterMary was as everclear and challengingand absolutelyfiendish questionswere asked. With ourfirst drinks we hadhors d’oeuvres—a

delightful innovation!—and then half-way through thecompetition a delicious supper of sausage and chips wasserved, in individual packs so the amount was just right, andcake donated by Jenny Killam followed. The excitement wasintense as the last rounds flew by, but it was the Littles whowon, in the end, with their team, The Sausage Dogs, followedby the Shepherds.

This is one of those highlight evenings, with the LytteltonRooms filled to capacity and nearly bursting at the seams,which canny people will put in their diaries for next time.Huge thanks to Helen Wall and her team who provided allthe food and drink and ambience, and to Mary Wetherill foran excellent quiz expertly delivered.

Chris Shepherd