newsletter of st neots & eynesbury parish churches of st neots & eynesbury parish churches...
TRANSCRIPT
December 2014/January 2015
Newsletter of St Neots & Eynesbury Parish Churches
Price 40p
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Who’s who in St Neots Parish Church Website http://www.stneots.org
Vicar Rev’d Dr. Paul Andrews 370312 /471297 The Vicarage, Church Street [email protected]
Curate Rev’d Eleanor Whalley 56 Stonehill 214995 [email protected]
Associate Priest Rev’d Roger Henthorne 472548 45 Berkley Street, Eynesbury
Retired Clergy: Rev’d Derek Draper Rev’d Bill Taylor Rev’d Canon Robert Sibson
Reader Ann Williams 394709 in Training 15 Buckley Road, Eynesbury [email protected] Authorised Lay Ministers: Rosemary Darrington, Pastoral Asst. 476334 Catherina Griffiths, Pastoral Asst. 393372 Christine Green, Worship Leader 07757665099
Children’s Jane Plumb 350137 Coordinator 30 Arundel Crescent, Eynesbury [email protected] Parish Administrator Judith Andrews 370312 Parish Office: Mon - Wed closed, Thurs, Fri 9:00 - 13:00, Sat 9.00 - 11.00 [email protected]
Church Philip Barrett 471871 Wardens 24 Barringer Way [email protected]
Jacky Isaac 476366 164 Cambridge Street [email protected]
Treasurer David Jones 211379 6 Murrell Close [email protected]
PCC Secretary Catherina Griffiths 393372 7 Parkway [email protected]
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Gift Aid Secretary Godfrey Wilson 391739 38 Honeydon Avenue [email protected]
Stewardship Jane Gill 476904 Recorder [email protected]
Director of Music Lloyd Barnett 217153 43 Ridgeway, Eynesbury [email protected] Churches Together Men’s Group Phil Barrett 24 Barringer Way 471871
Derek Wheel 18 Whistler Road 211897 Mother’s Union Branch Leader Catherina Griffiths 393372 7 Parkway [email protected]
St Mary’s Guild Bev Rawlings 475651
Tower Bell Captain David Griffiths 07818 685502 5 Rycroft Avenue [email protected]
Hand Bells Catherina Griffiths 393372 7 Parkway [email protected]
Holy Terrors Eileen Raggatt 213884 9-10yrs The Ferns, Berkley St. Eynesbury Magazine editor Ann Williams 394709 [email protected] Magazine David and Hilary Read 216684 distribution 3 Axis Way, Eaton Socon [email protected]
St Mary’s School Jenny Overs (Headteacher) 398048 Wintringham Road Restoration Team Ken Minney Colin Freeman (Treasurer) 381168 [email protected]
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New beginning, fresh hope
A very happy New Year to all our readers! Those who know me and who may have heard a few of my Advent Sunday sermons will know that I often begin Advent by wishing everyone a happy new year, and when that gets blank looks, or looks that suggest that everything everyone has thought about the vicar losing his marbles must be true after all,
I explain that Advent marks the beginning of the church’s year and the start of the cycle of liturgical celebration with which we mark the passing months. So in beginning this article with a new year greeting, I’m not just taking ad-vantage of the fact that this issue of the Messenger covers both December and January by getting in first. And by the way, wishing people a happy New (calendar) Year shouldn’t get mixed up with Christmas greetings. I some-times wonder why we all change from giving each other Christmas greetings to New Year greetings on Boxing Day. It seems that we always want to cele-brate before the event. For what it’s worth, you can still wish people Happy Christmas until Epiphany and you won’t be wished a happy New (calendar) Year by the vicar until on or after January 1
st.
But not jumping the gun and celebrating too early is part of what the begin-ning of the liturgical year is all about. While the world at large goes frantic in December with the ‘run-up to Christmas’, the Church begins its celebrations with a time of stillness, quiet and waiting on God to be revealed in Jesus Christ. There is a splendid little video which you can see on the Youtube internet site, called ‘Advent in Two Minutes’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA&sns=em). It’s a brilliant guide to what Advent is all about and I have used it frequently in school assemblies at this time of year. ‘We all know Christmas, right?’ it says, ‘shopping, planning, buying, baking, par-ties, dinners, eggnog, Santa, cards, gifts, decorating, carolling, stressing’. But there’s a lot more to it than that. ‘Christmas is entering our world, and Advent is the expectant waiting, hopeful anticipation, and cheerful prepara-tion of God breaking into our lives. In all moments, all places, all times, past, future.’ I think that it is important that in order to prepare ourselves to receive the God who breaks into our lives, the God who sets aside his divinity to share in our humanity in the person of Jesus, the church begins the year, not with the joy and festivity of Christmas, but with a space, with a silence, with an opportunity for prayerful reflection and preparation that is far more than just the busyness of getting ready for Christmas itself.
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I have been reading a lovely little book called ‘The Meaning is in the Waiting’ by Paula Gooder, who is one of the most brilliant and insightful, but also one of the most completely down to earth and communicative, biblical scholars writing to-day. This book will accompany me on my own personal Advent journey this year, and I will be offering some space to share some of its insights on three Thursday afternoons during December (the details are at the end of this article). Paula Gooder reminds us that we have become people who are unaccustomed to waiting, people who demand, and are encouraged to demand, the instant gratification of our desires. Whether it be for service at the supermarket, for fast food, for TV on demand, for information from Google, for the next-day delivery of what we order online today, we are unaccustomed and unwilling to wait. While those of us who are older remember that the Christmas decorations never went up until Christmas Eve and carols, if they were sung at all before Christmas Eve, were never heard before the last week of Advent, we have to acknowledge that the celebration of Christmas for most begins long before December 25
th and in-
deed may actually end on December 26th. We anticipate Christmas, not in the
sense of looking forward to it, but in the sense of celebrating it early. But this is not what Advent is all about at all. Advent gives us a clear space, a quiet time in which to pray and meditate on what it really means to celebrate the Incarnation, and on what it really means to look forward to the completion of all things, when god will bring in the new heaven and the new earth, every tear will be wiped away and death will be no more. For Advent is more than the run-up to a con-sumerist jamboree of presents and parties. Advent is the time that we have to make a space in our hearts and in our lives to receive the King of all, and rededi-cate ourselves in his service. Then the celebration, when it comes, is real, the joy is authentic and not manufactured. ‘Advent in two minutes’ ends by saying that if you are fed up with Christmas by 25
th December, then you haven’t done Advent correctly.’
So a very happy Christmas to you all when it comes (but not before), and let’s all use the four weeks of Advent to prepare ourselves to celebrate the greatest mystery, the mystery of the Incarnation, with the greatest joy. Yours ever in Christ Fr Paul
Waiting in Advent Hope Lectio Divina (bible reading), prayer, meditation, silence
Three opportunities for quiet Advent reflection, led by Fr Paul
The Upper Room (Vicarage) Thursday 4
th, 11
th, 18
th December, 2.30pm to 4.00pm
All welcome
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A sermon preached by Father Paul on Sunday 16
th
November, the second before Advent
[Gospel reading: Matthew 25.14-30]
Times are hard; money is tight; we need to consolidate; we need to hold on to what we’ve got; our church finances are in meltdown; numbers are declining; we can’t afford to keep going; soon there will be hardly any priests and no money to pay those who are left; the Church of England has less than a decade left. We have to be sensible and realistic - this is no time to be taking risks with our re-sources. What are we to do? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus do?
That catchphrase ‘What would Jesus do’, became popular in Amer-ica in the 1990s as a motto for young evangelical Christians who used it to remind themselves always to root their lives and actions in the life and actions of Jesus in the gospels. It caught on to an extent over here too and while some of us might think it’s a bit glib, nevertheless it can be a useful benchmark to remind us to live our faith thoughtfully and prayerfully – so what’s not to like? So what would he do?
A while ago, there were people waving a ‘What would Jesus do’ banner outside St Paul’s Cathedral during the Occupy London campaign against the financial institutions whose greed, they claimed, caused the world banking crisis that we are still feeling the effects of. Here were Christian anti-capitalists campaigning that the Lord was on their side. In one sense – robbing the savings and pensions of ordinary people to line the pockets of the greedy – he probably was. But what would Jesus actually do?
In one way it’s an easy question to answer. Anyone who reads the gospels half-way intelligently will soon realise that in any the situa-tion, whatever Jesus does or says is not going to be what those on the receiving end expect. Expect the unexpected is pretty much the order of the day. Those campaigning against modern capitalism
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and the morality of bankers have no doubt heard that Jesus gener-ally took the side of the poor and the disadvantaged. They are quite right, but perhaps they should take a closer look at the par-able in today’s gospel reading. Each of the servants in this story is entrusted by a capitalist with some of his capital and each left to invest it as he sees fit. When the master returns and asks to see the accounts it transpires that two of the officials have traded with their capital and doubled its value, while one has carefully kept his in a safe place, and he hands it back – not a penny more nor less than he started with.
Those who speak out against the reckless gambling of mendacious carpetbaggers might just be a little surprised by this, because it ap-pears that what Jesus seems to be endorsing here are the actions of two speculators, venture capitalists perhaps, who have pre-sumably taken a few risks with their master’s cash and made a kill-ing. The poor chap who was so afraid of failure that he protected the value of his share is the hapless apprentice to whom Jesus says ‘you’re fired’ (as another popular catchphrase goes), and the one who made the most is given a fat bonus. It seems that Jesus is firmly on the side of the city financiers. What would Jesus do? Sorry chaps, the bankers were right after all. Of course it’s not that simple. This is a parish that takes good stew-ardship seriously, and I hope we’ve been thinking and praying about our financial giving and the way we use our time and talents. We are all given gifts, abilities, treasures by God, and it is our re-sponsibility to use those gifts to the maximum, and not to squirrel them away and do nothing with them except keep them intact. Reading this gospel parable in the current economic climate might lead us to jump to the wrong conclusions. We are living through a difficult time because a tiny number of people took horrendous risks with lots of other people’s money, and too many of those risks spectacularly failed. Maybe it would have been better if we’d all done what the timid slave had done with his one talent and hidden our money in the ground. But that isn’t what this parable is about. The message is that, far from being safe or parsimoniously tight
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with what we have, we are required to take risks in order that the kingdom of God may grow – and the reward of success is not a fat bonus, but extra responsibility, so that the growth may continue.
We can think of the talents in the story in the modern sense of the word, as the gifts that each of us has, some natural, some acquired, all developed, and think of the way in which each of us is called to use those gifts in God’s service, through the working of Christ’s body, the church in bringing closer the kingdom of God and helping the Christian faith to grow and flourish in our community. Then when we are called to account, we will be able to show how we used those gifts for the benefit of others, not just for ourselves. For a gift to be truly effective, it must be shared. But there’s another way of looking at it. A great deal of money was involved. A talent was 6000 denarii, and a single denarius was equivalent to a labourer’s daily wage. So five talents is a small for-tune, two and one scarcely less so. Those servants were being en-trusted with real responsibility – the potential risk was enormous. That’s why one of them was so frightened that he decided he could-n’t take any risk at all. But those who did found that they were able to increase their gifts considerably, and so were rewarded with even greater responsibilities.
We are all given gifts, but we are also entrusted with a great treas-ure and a great commission. That treasure is the Church itself – the body of Christ, the body through which God in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit has chosen to do his continuing work in the world. We might think he could have chosen a more secure risk-free way, but he hasn’t – he has chosen us, and that is our responsibility as mature, grown-up Christians, as the Church of God. Our task is to use the treasure we have to make more treasure – to bring the mes-sage of the gospel to more and more people, and to persuade them that in order to fully realise the gifts given to them, they too need to become part of the body. The message of the parable of the talents is very much a message for us – everything we are given, all that we have is to be used to further the kingdom of God.
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What would Jesus do? Those who coined that phrase came up with an answer – fully rely on God (or FROG). Jesus would cer-tainly do that - he would be using every last penny of his re-sources, telling us his challenging stories, and encouraging us all to work and pray together to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and re-lease those in prison. But none of this would be in order to main-tain the status quo. He would be telling us not to squirrel away our reserves, but to join in the reckless generosity of God and to give generously, freely and joyfully so that the work of the kingdom can continue. To build up the body - and always, always expect the unexpected.
What would Jesus do? What should we be doing? What would the vicar do? At this point in the original sermon, I told the congre-gation that I had ten envelopes, with ten pounds in each, and that I would give an envelope to anyone who would accept the chal-lenge to use the money in any way at all to make more money for the church, ideally returning the original ten pounds with profit by the end of the year. Some accepted the challenge straight away, but there are still a few envelopes left, and if anyone would like to have a go, just let me know. The deadline for the end of 2014 can easily be extended.
That’s just a start. We are the church of the present, built on the church of the past, but much has changed and is still changing. In order to make sure that there is a church of the future, fully en-gaged in Christ’s mission, we need new and creative ways of se-curing our finances. We will come to think about this further when we renew our stewardship commitments in the New Year.
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Please remember in your prayers all who are ill and who have asked for our prayers:
Laurie Achurch, Gilliam Caldwell, John McLeod, Roger Simmonds, George and Ruth Wakeman, Joan Pearce, Elizabeth Naylor, Leo Francis, Eddie Edwards, Terry Underwood, Keith Stokes, Mike Mitcham, Martin Atkins, Margaret Sibson, Sheila Green, Christopher, William Brown, Gerry Saunders, Mollie Walker, Jack Moate, Stuart Crabtree, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Anthony Brewer, Richard Bunyan, Chris Gates, Margaret Bilson, Brenda Royce, Julie Thomas, Sheila Rawlings, Claire Kay, Ann Rudd, Sarah Lewis
Prayers for all the sick are offered regularly at the daily services of morning and evening prayer in both St Neots and Eynesbury Churches. Those whose problems are more recent or short-term are named in our weekly pew sheet, and remembered at Sunday services.
Family News
Pray for those who have died:
Barbara Rankin Ernest Dougill Paul Greenwood Diane Stratton
Diary Dates
Tuesday 2nd December: Deanery Christmas Party beginning 11am in the Church Rooms.
Friday 2nd January 2015: New Year buffet lunch at the Chequers Inn, £9 per head. If you would like to come please sign up with payment to Anna Gorton (tel. 01480 404605 or email [email protected]) by 15th December. The lunch will replace our usual evening meeting for this month.
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Treasurer Wanted
The PCC is looking for a Parish Treasurer to take over from David
Jones who has so kindly been keeping the books in good order de-
spite having resigned from the PCC.
If you think you have the time and skill needed for this important job,
please contact Father Paul or one of the wardens as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Thank You Jim and Joan Turner would like to thank all their friends at SNPC for their cards and good wishes for their Diamond Wedding. Special thanks to Jacky Isaac for the celebration cake shared by everyone.
Thanks for jobs taken on. Thanks to people who have volunteered their time and energy to take on new roles: Frank Owen (who is already our litter-picker in chief) has agreed to keep neat the edges round the memorial stones in the garden of Remembrance, and to help Ivan Smith. Christian Laughton who has taken on organising the rota for readers and intercessors.
Coffee morning and Bring & Buy Tuesday 9 December from 10.30 – 12.30pm
at Christian Laughton’s home in Hilton,
in aid of the Flower Festival 2015.
A sheet with names for car drivers with spaces and people
needing a lift will be in church.
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Christmas Services at a glance
Sunday 14th December 16:00 Christingle Service Thursday 18th December
18:00 A Blue Christmas A quiet service for those who find Christmas a difficult time.
18:00 Carol Singing, Love’s Farm (meet at Football Club) Friday 19th December 14:30 St. Mary’s School Christmas Service In Church. All Welcome. Sunday 21st December 08:00 Holy Communion 09:30 Sung Eucharist 18:30 Lessons and Carols by Candlelight Tuesday 23rd December 14:15 Christmas service at Bethany Frances Wednesday 24th December Christmas Eve 17:30 Family Carols by Candlelight 23:30 Midnight Mass of the Nativity
Thursday 25th December Christmas Day 10:00 Family Eucharist
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Readings December 2014
2nd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 40.1-11 Psalm 85.1-2,8-13* 2 Peter 3.8-15a Mark 1.1-8
3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11 Psalm 126 or Canticle: Magnificat 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24 John 1.6-8,19-28
4th Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7.1-11,16 Canticle: Magnificat or Psalm 89.1-4,19-26* Romans 16.25-27 Luke 1.26-38
Christmas Isaiah 9.2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2.11-14 Luke 2.1-14[15-20]
Isaiah 62.6-12 Psalm 97 Titus 3.4-7 Luke 2.[1-7]8-20
Isaiah 52.7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1.1-4[5-12] John 1.1-14 1st Sunday of Christmas
Isaiah 61.10 - 62.3 Psalm 148* Galatians 4.4-7 Luke 2.15-21
Readings January 2015
2nd Sunday of Christmas Jeremiah 31.7-14 Psalm 147.13-21 Ephesians 1.3-14 John 1.[1-9]10-18 Epiphany Isaiah 60.1-6 Psalm 72.[1-9]10-15 Ephesians 3.1-12 Matthew 2.1-12 1st Sunday of Epiphany Genesis 1.1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19.1-7 Mark 1.4-11 2nd Sunday of Epiphany 1 Samuel 3.1-10[11-20] Psalm 139.1-5,12-18* Revelation 5.1-10 John 1.43-51 3rd Sunday of Epiphany Genesis 14.17-20 Psalm 128 Revelation 19.6-10 John 2.1-11
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Calendar for December 2014 / January 2015 (Please note that any changes to this calendar will be found on the pew sheet) Prayers are said weekdays in church: mornings at 8:30 and evenings at 17:30.
Monday 1st December 09:00 Coffee, Craft & Chat, St. Mary’s School 17:30 Holy Terrors 20:00 House Group at 18 Wintringham Road Tuesday 2nd December 11:00 Tuesday Fellowship Group 14:00 Service at Aisling Lodge Wednesday 3rd December 12:30 Holy Communion 19:30 Wednesday Fellowship Group Thursday 4th December 14:00 Book Group meet at 12 Bodiam Way Friday 5th December 09:30 Holy Communion 19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice Saturday 6th December 18:00 Mayor's Carol Concert
Sunday 7th December 08:00 Holy Communion 09:30 All Age Eucharist 16:00 Cafe Church at Round House School
Monday 8th December 17:30 Holy Terrors Carol Party Tuesday 9th December 10.00 Coffee morning at Christian Laughton’s home 12:30 Prayer lunch at the URC Wednesday 10th December 09:00 Church cleaning 10:00 Tots' Praise 12:30 Holy Communion Friday 12th December 09:30 St Mary's School Eucharist 19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice Saturday 13th December 19:30 The Church has got talent
Sunday 14th December 08:00 Holy Communion 09:30 Sung Eucharist with Ministry of Healing 16:00 Christingle Service
Monday 15th December 09:00 Coffee, Craft & Chat, St. Mary’s School
Tuesday 16th December 10:00 Longsands rehearsal for carol concert 11:00 Tuesday Fellowship Group Wednesday 17th December 12:30 Holy Communion 19:30 Wednesday Fellowship Group 19:30 Longsands Carol Service Thursday 18th December 18:00 A Blue Christmas 18:00 Carol Singing, Love’s Farm (Football Club) Friday 19th December 09:30 Holy Communion 14:30 St Mary's School Christmas service in church 19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice Sunday 21st December 08:00 Holy Communion 09:30 Sung Eucharist 18:30 Lessons and Carols by Candlelight
Tuesday 23rd December 14.15 Service at Bethany Francis House
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Wednesday 24th December Christmas Eve 17:30 Family Carols by Candlelight 23:30 Midnight Mass of the Nativity
Christmas Day 25th December 10:00 Family Eucharist Sunday 28th December 08:00 Holy Communion 09:30 Sung Eucharist Wednesday 31st December 12:30 Holy Communion
2015
Friday 2nd January 09:30 Holy Communion
19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice in church
Saturday 3rd January 14:00 Wedding Blessing
Sunday 4th January 08:00 Holy Communion
09:30 All Age Eucharist 16:00 Cafe Church at Round House School
Tuesday 6th January 14:00 Service at Aisling Lodge Wednesday 7th January 09:00 Church cleaning
12:30 Holy Communion Thursday 8th January 14:00 Book Group at 12 Bodiam Way Friday 9th January 09:30 Holy Communion
19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice in church
Sunday 11th January 08:00 Holy Communion
09:30 Sung Eucharist with Ministry of Healing
Monday 12th January 09:00 Coffee, Craft & Chat, St. Mary’s School Wednesday 14th January 10.00 Tots’ Praise 12:30 Holy Communion
Friday 16th January 09:30 Holy Communion
19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice in church
Sunday 18th January 08:00 Holy Communion
09:30 Sung Eucharist
Wednesday 21st January 09:00 Church cleaning
12:30 Holy Communion
Friday 23rd January 09:30 Holy Communion
Friday 23rd January 19:30 Choir and bell ringers practice in church
Sunday 25th January 08:00 Holy Communion
09:30 Sung Eucharist
Monday 26th January 09:00 Coffee, Craft & Chat, St. Mary’s School Tuesday 27th January 10:30 Coffee Club at Costa Coffee 14.15 Service at Bethany Frances House Wednesday 28th January 10.00 Tots’ Praise 12:30 Holy Communion
Friday 30th January 09:30 Holy Communion
Saturday 31st January 11:00 Messy Noah in the Church Room
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Prayer Diary for December
1 M 2Tu 3W 4Th Nicholas Ferrar 5F 6S Nicholas 7Su Ambrose 8M Conception of BVM 9Tu Lucy , martyr 10W 11Th 12F 13S 14Su 15M 16Tu 17W 18Th 19F 20S 21Su 22M 23Tu 24W Christmas Eve 25Th Christmas Day 26F Stephen 27S John, Apostle 28Su Holy Innocents 29M Thomas Becket 30Tu 31W
Parkway The Crescent Park Road Queensway Leys Road Rycroft Avenue Bedford Street Russell Street Phoenix Square New Street West Street Priory Road Tan Yard St.Anselm Place Old Market Court Ware Road Lammas Way Hawthorn Road Riversmead Barnes Close Harland Road Lime Grove Beech Grove Hatley Close Barringer Way Topham Court Emery Place Bargroves Avenue Lannesbury Crescent Bawlins Hogsden Leys
General synod Diocesan Synod Deanery Synod LLMs ALMs All training for ministry Ordained ministers Retired clergy Children in poverty Ministry in the workplace Business owners Shop workers Social workers Foster carers Adoption agencies Children in care Those in sheltered housing Cancer sufferers The visually impaired The hearing impaired Those suffering depression Research scientists Research volunteers The fire service The police Paramedics The Red Cross St. John’s Ambulance Staff in A & E wards Patients in A & E Those terminally ill
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Prayer diary for January
Dairy farmers Livestock farmers Arable farmers Farmers’ Markets Prison chaplains Prison fellowship members Prisoners Prison governors Prison staff Prison visitors Prisoners’ families Those new to faith Those seeking faith Those struggling with faith Sunday school teachers Confirmation candidates PCC members Church committee members Week of prayer for Christian Unity Churches together Joint church initiatives The food bank Trussell Trust Churchwardens Church cleaners Church flower arrangers Church sidespeople Coastguards The RNLI Fishermen
1Th Naming of Jesus 2F Basil & Gregory 3S 4Su 5M 6Tu Epiphany 7W 8Th 9F 10S 11Su 12M Aelred of Hexham 13Tu Hilary of Poitiers 14W 15Th 16F 17S Antony of Egypt 18Su 19M Wulfstan 20Tu 21W Agnes, child martyr 22Th 23F 24S 25Su Conversion of Paul 26M Timothy & Titus 27Tu 28W Thomas Aquinas 29Th 30F 31S
Cockrells Harvest Drive Radland Close Middle Ground Top Birches School Drive Stonehill Whiston Way Dixy Close Great High Ground Fox brook Fox covert The Warren Leveret Way Cambridge Road Loves Way Belland Hill Sandfields Road Wintringham Road Charles Street Musgrave Way Duck Lane Nursery Road Marshall Road Chestnut Grove Pepys Road Medland Grove Mallard Lane Hen Brook Brampton Gardens Whitehall Walk
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Christian Aid
At the recent Christian Aid (CA) AGM, Hannah Holtby, a young intern working with CA gave a very exciting talk about her visit to Ethiopia with
CA. CA works with partner groups in other countries and so Hannah went to see projects run by the Hundi who are working within the local commu-nities on gender issues and women’s empowerment. This has not only had an effect on women but also men in the community. When Hannah spoke to Halke he told her that he is now able to consult his wife on impor-tant issues and spoke highly of her skills and role in the home and in their marriage partnership. In the past the responsibilities of providing for the family had been quite a burden to the men, who are now enjoying the shared responsibilities. Lives have been turned around by the work of Hundi and CA, and the Ethiopian government has passed laws banning Female Genital Mutilation; banning alcohol abuse and preventing young girls under the age of 18 from marrying (previously 12 had been the mar-riageable age). Hannah was an excellent enthusiastic speaker and is happy to talk to schools or youth groups during her 10 months at CA. Imogen Tate, from CA Peterborough office, gave details of the latest CA initiatives, highlighting the Christmas Appeal (Not every child in a stable survives). She spoke about women who have to walk for 7 hours to the nearest medical centre, some giving birth by the roadside with no help or facilities. We at St Mary’s will be supporting this appeal with our Christmas card tree. The government have offered to match our collections £1 for £1 this Christmas so please give generously. (See pages 12 and 24 of the November Messenger.)
Thank you Catherina Griffiths
Wanted
Maddie Walters would be very grateful if you could save your bottle tops for her mum who is collecting them for a wheel-
chair. Bottle tops of any kind from plastic milk bottles to
fizzy drink bottles are all welcome. Thank you.
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Notes from the November PCC Meeting Roof Repairs: to be finalised. Lighting: completed. Windows: The faculty is going through the legal process. Book of Remembrance: Tony Murfin is creating a loose leaf A5 binder to enable new entries to be included. Garden of Rest: Frank Owens has volunteered to trim around the memorial stones. Ely 2025 “People Fully Alive”, a strategy document developed from the Di-ocesan Mission Statement will be launched on Advent Sunday and the PCC will discuss it in January. Finance: There will be a 2% increase in Ministry Share for 2015 (£1300 more) - £65,333 to pay. The PCC agreed to prepare a budget committed to paying the Ministry Share in full drawing money from reserves if necessary. Future Plans and Re-ordering:, and a small group will be invited to sound out opinions and to prioritise needs. Community Chaplain: Helene Tame is to be ordained in July 2015. Fr Paul will be her curacy training incumbent although her focus will be Loves Farm. There will be some aspects of the work that will need to be done in the Parish Church. Times of Services: The feeling of members present was not to change the time of the 9.30am service but this will be discussed at a future meeting.
Friends of SNPC
A very successful fund-raising event for the Friends saw a packed church enthralled by the beautiful voices of the
King’s Men singing a range of music from ‘Byrd to the Beach Boys’.
The magnificent sum of over £3000 was raised.
Thanks to the organisers and to all those who supported this special occasion.
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St. Mary’s Church of England Primary School Wintringham Road, St. Neots, PE19 1NX
Headteacher: Mrs. J. Overs 01480 398048 Chair of Governors: Ann Williams 01480 394709
www.stmaryscofe.co.uk [email protected]
Thinking of Others As we approach Christmas it is a time to think about people less fortunate than ourselves.
‘Early in November Pudsey visited our school. He came to help us prepare for Children in Need to raise money. He came around to the classes. When he came into Class 6 (my class) he looked like a giant fluff ball coming though the door, wav-ing. All of my class were so joyful we all started waving back at him. When he went to the little chil-dren's classes they all jumped up, ran up to him and hugged him. We thought about what made a Superhero, which was the theme this Year. On the 9th November it was Children in Need day
and we all dressed up as a Superhero. In assembly each class had to stand up to see what type of Superhero you were dressed as. There were some people dressed up as their parents, because they thought that their parents were their heroes. Each class had to bring in some money if you wanted to dress up. Class 6 managed to raise over thirteen pounds. Our class was so happy that we raised this money for Children in Need. Altogether the school raised £130.50 Mrs. King was our teacher for the day and our class had to write a book in a day. You could pick your own Superhero or you could make up your own. It was really hard but we managed to finish it! We were so glad that we had fin-ished a book in a day but it was no ordinary book it, was a Pudsey shaped book! A week later we read the books to Class 2 and they asked lots of ques-tions and were very interested in our books. We had a lovely time and look forward to next year's Children in Need day,’ Lea, Class 6.
‘My mummy is a Superhero. She is kind, loving, respectful, loving, powerful, pretty, helpful, happy, super and she loves me, Jasmine Class 2
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‘My daddy and mummy are Superheroes. They speak nicely and keep peo-ple safe. They are caring, patient, friendly, thoughtful, helpful, loving, kind and considerate. They love me,’ Kyarna Class 2
We have also sent Christmas Shoeboxes to Samari-tan’s Purse to give presents to children around the world less fortunate than ourselves. ‘I made a shoebox, because all the things I put in it didn’t cost a lot of money. In some videos I watched it showed how happy the children were just to get one or two presents. In it I put some Haribo, a lego toy car you can build lots
of things with, a little diary to keep track of what you are doing, some pencils and a pencil sharp-ener and a bouncy ball. I made it for someone my age, because I know what they would like. It was fun to do and I really enjoyed wrapping the shoe-box in striped wrapping paper. I’m looking forward to finding out where it goes,’
Christopher Class 4.
Book Club The next meeting of the Book Club is on
Thursday January 8th at 2pm, 12 Bodiam Way.
This month’s book is a Church Times recom-
mendation: Grace and Mary by Melvyn Bragg
All welcome
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Messy Noah
Saturday 31st
January 2015
11.00am – 1.00pm Please come and join us for Messy Noah, no
charge, lunch included.
The more the messier!
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A CHRISTMAS STORY
When Rowan Williams, our former archbishop, gave the Autumn lec-ture for BELIEF in Bedford one of the things that stayed with me was that we could not study any text of the Bible with real understanding if we did not take into account the political, religious and social condi-tions of the time in which it was written. With that in mind may I tell you a story. Both families were very happy. It is such a heavy responsibility arrang-ing a marriage. Joseph`s family were happy to have found a young woman with such a good background. there were not many families with connections to the Temple priesthood in Nazareth. Mary had a cousin married to a priest who would soon make the incense offering in the sanctuary. Mary`s family were also pleased. How often can you find a young man who can trace his ancestry back to King David. The two young people seemed to like one another so that was a bonus. Sometimes a little pressure is necessary. You might say it was a mar-riage made in heaven. Then came disaster. Mary told her family that she was pregnant, that she was carrying the child of God. How could this possibly be true. Jo-seph had an agonizing decision to make. He could not marry an impure woman but if what she said was true then he must not reject a gift from God. After desperate days and sleepless nights he ,at last, slept. In deep sleep he too had a vision. An angel told him that he and Mary had been chosen by God to nurture Messiah. Now with a sense of vocation the marriage could go ahead. Then someone said, "Remember Elizabeth". After years of marriage she and her husband, the priest, Zechariah had given up hope of hav-ing children. AS he entered the Temple to make the offering of incense Zechariah had a visionary meeting with an angel who told him that he and Elizabeth were chosen by God to bring up a son who would be the herald who would proclaim the coming of the Messiah. This was so amazing he was struck dumb. For Mary`s family the reminder was timely. The family could ride out the sneering remarks about Joseph being a bit over eager but if the news that Elizabeth`s son was to be
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the Forerunner and Mary`s son would be the Messiah became com-mon gossip that would be both politically and religiously very danger-ous. The ruling classes must not hear it. It would be quite natural that Mary should go to Jerusalem to care for her cousin. There she would have some protection under the wing of priesthood. When Elizabeth and Mary met it was obvious that here were two women chosen and blessed by God. The time came for Joseph to take Mary to his family home. Where else could Messiah be born other than Bethlehem, the city of David. The journey was difficult for a heavily pregnant woman and by the tine they reached a travellers ` shelter it was obvious that they could go no further. There was no room for them in the guest chamber so the had to camp with the hoi polloi on the upper level above the cat-tle on ground level. Among the travellers there was sure to be mature women used to assisting at the birth of a child. The useful animals provide a sort of primitive central heating. Joseph`s family would know what was said about this baby. They would know the danger his coming presented, they would tell only a few trusted friends. But news like this would spread through a politi-cally aware network rather like the French resistance network in the second world war. The shepherds on the hills saw confirmation in the sky. Later generations would say it was a comet but to them it was a sign of that most dangerous gift, the gift of hope. The story of the birth of this child in the city of David is not a rather sweet story for the kiddies. This is an event of worldwide significance, at the time a hope for de-liverance from the tyranny of Rome and the oppression of the reli-gious authorities. It has in it the seeds of revolution. It brings hope to us also. COME LET US WORSHIP Dss. Mavis
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Eynesbury Notices
Little Giants - Every Friday – 9:30-11:00am Bible stories, craft, songs and play. A group for babies and tod-dlers and their parents and carers Bible Study – Every Monday 2:15pm – Church Room We are studying Genesis so anyone interested in catching up with all the Old Testament stories please contact Gordon, Tony or Ann Garner ([email protected], 01480 472777) Reverend Deborah Noonan Rev. Noonan is currently on maternity leave. During her absence all church services and other events will proceed as normal. For further information, or to hire the church room, visit the church and for general inquires please contact one of the Churchwar-dens. For pastoral visitation, please contact Deaconess Mavis Hinde. Otherwise, please feel free to contact the St. Neots Parish Office about christenings, weddings, funerals, reading of Banns or other special services. Their details are:- The Vicarage, Church Street, St Neots, Cambs PE19 2BU - Tel: 01480 370312 email: [email protected] Churchwardens Tony Hopwood Telephone: 01480 382 834 Gordon Depledge Telephone: 01480 391 123 Deaconess Mavis Hinde Telephone: 01480 218219
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Eynesbury Diary for December
Friday 5th 09.30 Little Giants Saturday 6th 10.00 Cake Stall Sunday 7th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist Monday 8th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 12th 09.30 Little Giants Sunday 14th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist Monday 15th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 19th 09.30 Little Giants Sunday 21st 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist 16.00 Carol Service Monday 22nd 14.15 Bible Study
Wednesday 24th Christmas Eve 17.00 Crib Service 23.00 Midnight Mass Thursday 25th Christmas Day 10.00 All Age Service
Sunday 28th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist
Eynesbury Diary for January 2015
Sunday 4th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist Monday 5th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 9th 09.30 Little Giants Sunday 11th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist Monday 12th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 16th 09.30Little Giants Sunday 18th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist with Baptism of Aidan Noonan Monday 19th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 23rd 09.30 Little Giants Sunday 25th 09.30 Sung Eucharist 11.15 Family Eucharist Monday 26th 14.15 Bible Study Friday 30th 09.30 Little Giants
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Articles for February Messenger to the Editor by January 17th please
Eynesbury St. Mary Contact Information
www.stmaryseynesbury.weebly.com Rector Rev'd. Deborah Noonan BA, M'Div 390509 14 Chestnut Grove Eynesbury, PE19 2DW [email protected]
Contact Judith Andrews 370312 Parish Office The Vicarage Church Street St.Neots (Mon - Wed closed, Thurs-Fri 9am-1pm, Sat 9am-11am) Email: [email protected] Deaconess Mavis Hinde 8 Burnt Close, Eynesbury 218219 [email protected] Churchwardens Tony Hopwood 382834 2 Constable Avenue, Eaton Ford [email protected] Gordon Depledge 391123 3 Howitts Lane Eynesbury PCC Secretary Catherine Weaver 07894 122938 [email protected] Treasurer Christine Miles 20 Balmoral Way, Eynesbury Tower Captain George Bonham 474485 [email protected] Eynesbury Church of England Primary School Helen Rouse, Headteacher, 398028 [email protected]