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February and March 2020

OPEN DOOR August and September 2020

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2020OPEN DOOR

For Contact Numbers Please Ring 01773 719941

See Church Notices

CONTACTSReader Safeguarding Co-ordinatorBarbara Coleman 07485 111241 Email: greasleysafeguarding:@gmail.com

ChurchwardensTania Cook ) greasleychurchwardens@gmail.comDerek Fletcher ) Treasurer Tania Cook email : greasleytreasurer@gmail.com

OrganistDavid Dobb

Bell Ringers Tower CaptainEmmi Checkley

Vicar's AdministratorEsther Henshaw Email: stmarygreasley@outlook.comFor all Church Hall Bookings, Weddings, Baptisms and all other general enquiries please phone:-01773 719941 between 9.30am and 11am on Tuesdays, 09.30am - 3.30pm Wednesdays and Fridays.Out of Hours: 07763 865716

PCC SecretaryStephen Henshaw Email: secretarygreasleyPCC@outlook.com

Christian Aid/TraidcraftJanet Hedderly

Mothers' UnionBarbara Coleman

Social CommitteeWendy Taylor

WEEKLY SERVICES1st Sunday each month8.30 Morning Prayer (BCP)10.15 Holy Communion

2nd Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)10.15 Holy Communion

3rd Sunday each month 8.30 Morning Prayer (BCP)10.15 Holy Communion

4th Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)10.15 Holy Communion

5th Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)10.15 Holy Communion

Every Wednesday10am Informal Holy Communion

Church Websitewww.greasleychurch.wordpress.com

OPEN DOORThe deadline for submitting material for the February and March 2020 Issue will be Wednesday 15th January 2020.Copy for the next issue should be forwarded to the Church Office or at opendoor.greasley@ntlworld.com

Comments and articles in Open Door do not necessarilyreflect the opinions of the editor, clergy or PCC ofSt. Mary’s Church, Greasley.The Editor of the Greasley Church Open Door Magazine(at his/her discretion) has the authority to select and decideupon the suitability of contents and inclusion of articles. PCC

Church AdministratorAddress: Church OfficeGreasley Church HallChurch RoadGreasley, NottinghamNG16 2AB

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Our Readers Letter

St Mary’s Church, Greasley is currently in an

interregnumWe aim to continue with the Services as

follows:8.30am Sunday Service10.15am Sunday Service10am Wednesday Service

whilst we can get ministers to take the Services.

Thank you

Dear FriendsI hope that you are managing to keep well and safe and finding lots to do to pass the time.We are in a time of change and to some extent insecurity. Churches are in discussion on the best way to offer private prayer and perhaps recommence church services. The senior diocesan staff members are conducting meetings regarding the way forward. Bishop Paul is hoping that there may be some worship in churches by September but even this will be with restrictions.

Parts of the country are still showing signs of some Covid 19 so we are still having to be careful..

We still need to remember all the front line workers who are keeping the country operating safely, fed and cared for.

There are so many factors which need to be in place before we can meet in church again. I have enjoyed zooming into other churches and sharing their worship.

Now I have all this free time I could fulfil all the many jobs which need doing around the house but somehow I always find something much more interesting to do. I am sure that my dog and cat are tired of seeing me always there.

At least we now have a little more freedom to meet with family and friends. And some people are managing to get away on holiday.

We need to be patient and remember that wherever we are and in whatever we are doing that God is beside us at all times even outside the four walls of a church building.Psalms 67 and 100

May God bless you, your families and friends.Barbara

Musings on our Christian faith

To serve God and my church and to love all human beings is my creed. - Mary G Roebling

It is not the possession of extraordinary gifts that makes extraordinary usefulness, but the dedication of what we have to the service of God. - F W Robertson

Make sure it is God’s trumpet you are blowing. If it is only yours, it won’t wake the dead, it will simply disturb the neighbours. - W Ian Thomas

God does not keep office hours. - A W Tozer

When considering your future: give God what’s right - not what’s left. - Anon When praying, don’t give God instructions - just report for duty. - Anon This church is prayer-conditioned. - Anon Comfort for new curates - when God ordains, He sustains. - Anon WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning. - AArt is here because God meant it to be here. - HansE Fosdick

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

Changes in Data Protection Laws (GDPR), no longer allow us to show personal telephone numbers. Should you wish to contact any of the above persons, please contact Esther Henshaw on 01773 719941 between Tuesday: 9.30-11.0am, Wednesdays and Fridays: 9.30-3.30pm

Out of Hours No 07763 865716PLEASE NOTE OFFICE TIME CHANGES

Gardening Tips for AugustEverything in the garden seems to be really flourishing at this time. This could be due to the weather, spells of heat and then periods of rain. However, I think the real reason is that I have had more time!! Usually I am fitting in the gardening jobs amongst all the other things that I love doing, but this year, that has all been taken away and I do have time to “stop and stare”.

I have been able to keep my sweet peas watered and fed as much as they want, as they are really hungry plants. It is really important to keep picking the flowers as the plants will soon give up flowering if they have the chance to set seeds. As a result, my house smells glorious, there is nothing like the fragrance of freshly picked sweet peas and I have been able to keep filling up the vases. I have also had some glorious calendula flowers, as big as gerberas. I have grown a variety called Indian Prince and they have flowered prolifically.

The whole garden is a profusion of different summer flowering perennials and I can really appreciate it this year. I have started to trim the spring flowering shrubs now that most of the birds have fledged. I even had a blackbird nest in my clematis arch, the fledglings were adorable looking for worms in my lawn.

I only have one rose climbing in my front garden, which was glorious until the winds took all the flowers. I thought it was snowing at one time, there were so many petals being blown about. However, if you have roses keep deadheading to encourage new blooms and if there is any sign of blackspot, just remove those leaves, and there should be little harm done.

If you fancy having a go at growing from your own seeds, there should be plenty to collect, such as poppies, aquilegia and campanula, which are all going over now.

Lawns don’t usually grow quite so fast in August, unless there is a wet spell, so if you cut make sure you use a longer blade setting. If your lawn has become brown, it will soon recover as soon as the rain starts.

Gardening Tips for SeptemberThis is a great month for looking at where you can plant some new shrubs. It is a great time to plant them in early autumn as there will be plenty of rain to help settle them in the ground. It is also a time to think about the spring as now is the time to plan your spring bulb planting. I love going to the nurseries to choose my additional bulbs, as I already have a wide variety but you can never have too many.

Look for Allium Purple Sensation, it is incredible and is very reasonable to buy. The dwarf varieties of daffodils and tulips are always worth planting plenty, not only in the ground but in pots. They can also be planted at the foot of trees as the canopy of the tree will not grow until after the spring flowers have finished and is really something to look forward to. I love this month in early Autumn as the asters (Michaelmas daisies) are at their best, the rudbeckias are blooming prolifically, the hardy geraniums should be flowering again for the second or even third time if the previous flowerings have been deadheaded thoroughly. Dahlias are looking amazing if you can keep the slugs and snails at bay, (but that is another story).

I will admit that this is my favorite month, when the leaves are still green, the grass is looking green again and there is the glory of the next month to come. Enjoy the extra time this year, it has been an amazing opportunity to try new ideas.Sheila

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Race For Life At Home In June, Jane Johnston together with her daughter and granddaughter, Emily and Lily Bowden, cycled 10k to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Jane cycled indoors on her exercise bike in Greasley and Emily and Lily took to the lanes in the Cotswolds. We set ourselves a target of £800 and thanks to your generosity we managed to exceed it, raising over £1000 with gift aid added. Many thanks to you all for helping us reach this target and helping people affected by cancer who are suffering during the present pandemic.

Jewellery Making The Church recently received a very kind and extensive donation of jewellery making equipment from the estate of, Patricia Clarke, a sister to a

member of our congregation We are in the process of sorting the contents of this donation, and have items that can be sold at the Church Christmas Market or Craft Fair over the next few years. We are grouping the items into the following categories:

• ready made jewellery which will be sold on one of our usual stalls at the Christmas Market.

• jewellery making kits which we can offer for sale at a special craft stall at the Christmas Market and Craft Fair.

• unopened tools, equipment, beads etc. which can be offered to craftspeople at our Craft Fair.

• opened equipment that the Mothers Union will use to make jewellery for sale at our postponed craft day and also offered to the wider Church for making jewellery for sale.

If you fancy having a go at making jewellery keep your eyes open for our MU Day and the stalls at our next markets. Jane Johnston(I am truly greatful to Chris and Jane who took on this enormous task of sorting and finding outlets for this donation.) Editor.

God in the SciencesThis series is written by Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, who is Church Engagement Director at The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge. Ruth writes on the positive relationship between Science and Christian faith.

Parable: The Strength of a Seed

At this time of year we enjoy the fruits of our gardens, fields and hedgerows: vegetables ripen, crops are harvested, and berries begin to show bright among the leaves. Much of this growth started with a few seeds in spring: the miracle of life coming from small dead-looking things. There is a league table of long-lived seeds. The winners so far are from the narrow-leafed campion, buried by squirrels in the Siberian permafrost over 30,000 years ago. When those seeds finally germinated, they became healthy plants that flowered and produced seeds of their own.

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The Bible contains many links between seeds and spiritual growth, and the parable of the sower is the most famous (in Matthew 13). A person may hear or experience something of God which has the potential to germinate into a life of following Him, resulting in the fruit of others coming to know God too. But things can happen that snatch that seed away, killing it before it has finished germinating, or choking its growth.

What about the knowledge of God that gets trampled, churned too deep in the mire of life to receive the warmth and light it needs to develop into faith? Buried seeds don’t always die, but they can lie dormant, remaining alive but inactive until the earth is turned over. The possibility of that moment of connecting with something divine, scrap of knowledge, or snatch of conversation resulting in a changed life may seem infinitesimally small, but it’s not zero. The seed may be incredibly tough, just waiting for a chance to grow.

The Gospel narrative plays on the fact that it took a long time for the disciples to understand the full implications of Jesus’ teaching: a germination process that took many of them three or more years. They could have been discouraged, but Jesus was not. I don’t think it’s too much of stretch to draw out of the parable of the sower to include the observation that it can take a long time, sometimes decades, for people to work their way through the various barriers, sticking points, and phases of forgetfulness that may keep them from following through on their spiritual experience. When we finally receive – or are open to – the encouragement, challenge, or experience that helps our faith in Christ grow, we can experience the rich fruit of a transformed life.

Looking at GodLooking at God

When Christ Stood In When Christ Stood In Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square

I’m not a big fan of statues – but my favourite was I’m not a big fan of statues – but my favourite was the life-sized figure of Christ that stood in London’s the life-sized figure of Christ that stood in London’s Trafalgar Square during the Millennium celebrations.Trafalgar Square during the Millennium celebrations.

It stood on the square’s previously-empty fourth plinth, It stood on the square’s previously-empty fourth plinth, going almost unnoticed among the surrounding grand going almost unnoticed among the surrounding grand statues and with Nelson’s Column towering above it.statues and with Nelson’s Column towering above it.

The statue, called Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), was The statue, called Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), was built by conceptual artist Mark Wallinger and erected built by conceptual artist Mark Wallinger and erected in 1999. He explained: “I consciously made Him life-in 1999. He explained: “I consciously made Him life-size. We are made in God’s image, and He was made size. We are made in God’s image, and He was made in our image. in our image.

“So for the statue to stand in contrast to the overgrown “So for the statue to stand in contrast to the overgrown relics of empire was definitely part of the plan.”relics of empire was definitely part of the plan.”

The figure was made of white marble resin, and The figure was made of white marble resin, and depicted Christ standing before the multitude with His depicted Christ standing before the multitude with His head slightly bowed. head slightly bowed.

I found the statue of Christ deeply moving and kept I found the statue of Christ deeply moving and kept returning to Trafalgar Square to stand and gaze at it.returning to Trafalgar Square to stand and gaze at it.

Because to me, the statue declared Christ’s Because to me, the statue declared Christ’s vulnerability. It stood as a reminder that the God of all vulnerability. It stood as a reminder that the God of all creation came to earth as a man and lived among us. creation came to earth as a man and lived among us. He gave up His life so that we might have salvation.He gave up His life so that we might have salvation.

There, with London’s traffic rushing by, pigeons There, with London’s traffic rushing by, pigeons coming in to land, and tourists snapping photographs coming in to land, and tourists snapping photographs of each other, Christ stood unobtrusively. Standing, of each other, Christ stood unobtrusively. Standing, you could say, at the door of our consciousness, and you could say, at the door of our consciousness, and asking to be let in.asking to be let in.

In a BBC interview at the time, the artist said that he In a BBC interview at the time, the artist said that he wanted the statue to be an antidote to the “spiritually wanted the statue to be an antidote to the “spiritually empty celebration” then taking place at the Millennium empty celebration” then taking place at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. Dome in Greenwich.

A minute, unseen enemy has shaken global society to its foundations. This is bringing about a new way of being-in-the-world… In the long run, this pandemic may hasten the emergence of a renewed vision of community and progress towards environmental renewal which we had hardly dared to think could happen. - The Rev Dr Christopher Steed, Team Rectotr in the Totton Team, Hampshire and Visiting Professor at Winchester University.

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It certainly had a deep effect on me. In April 2017, the It certainly had a deep effect on me. In April 2017, the statue of Christ was placed on the steps of St Paul’s statue of Christ was placed on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral during Easter. Again, I watched as tourists Cathedral during Easter. Again, I watched as tourists passed by not noticing the figure. It was a modern-day passed by not noticing the figure. It was a modern-day parable in marble resin.parable in marble resin.

When the Apostle Paul took a stroll around Athens, When the Apostle Paul took a stroll around Athens, he spotted the various altars and statues to the Greek he spotted the various altars and statues to the Greek gods. He found an altar ‘To an Unknown God’ and gods. He found an altar ‘To an Unknown God’ and declared that this was “the God who made the world declared that this was “the God who made the world and everything in it” who had made Himself known in and everything in it” who had made Himself known in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ.

Just as Mark Wallinger took possession of the fourth Just as Mark Wallinger took possession of the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for Jesus Christ – the reason plinth in Trafalgar Square for Jesus Christ – the reason for the Millennium celebrations – so Paul claimed for the Millennium celebrations – so Paul claimed the ‘unknown God’ altar in Athens for the Christian the ‘unknown God’ altar in Athens for the Christian gospel.gospel.

The Bible has always been wary of putting people The Bible has always been wary of putting people on pedestals. It shows us all sides of the people it on pedestals. It shows us all sides of the people it describes, warts and all. describes, warts and all.

It tells us that Moses was a murderer, that David was It tells us that Moses was a murderer, that David was an adulterer, that Paul persecuted the first Christians an adulterer, that Paul persecuted the first Christians and that Peter denied Christ. and that Peter denied Christ.

But all of us have feet of clay, and few of us deserve But all of us have feet of clay, and few of us deserve to be memorialised for centuries in stone or marble. to be memorialised for centuries in stone or marble. Rather, we are gently encouraged to love God and to Rather, we are gently encouraged to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves. love our neighbour as ourselves.

Maybe that’s the best way to make our mark in history.Maybe that’s the best way to make our mark in history.

by Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest by Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts, and a former Director of in St Albans, Herts, and a former Director of Communications with the CofE. Communications with the CofE.

Mothers’ UnionThe Mothers’ Union programme which was carefully planned has like everything else been put on hold.

Modern technology has come into its own with Zoom meetings, FaceTime and for some less technophobes, keeping in touch by email.

Mother’s Union secretary regularly sends links for Bishop Paul’s ‘Start The Day’ video and I know a number of members have watched them and other activities which I have forwarded to members.

I recently forwarded an email which had included a risk assessment for those branches who wanted to meet again no earlier than September provided the guidelines were met and I asked our members if they thought we should pursue this way forward and most were quite in agreement and I am in the process of approaching the Church Wardens and PCC to find a way of achieving this safely.

I have regularly telephoned members who have not responded to my emails and usually had long chats which breaks the monotony of long day for those isolating.

At long last the government have eased the lockdown and we are now allowed a little socialising albeit at a distance.

Ian Wheeler suggested church members meet for coffee at Beauvale Priory on Sunday mornings -weather permitting and over 25 attended. What a joyful uplifting event it was. Lovely to see all the friends not seen for 4 months. Who would have envisaged the whole country would be in lockdown for so long and haven’t we all coped well?

Look forward to seeing everyone in church, hopefully in the not too distant future.

Pauline

The purpose of prayer and of God’s call in your life isn’t to make you number one in the world’s eyes but to make Him number one in your life. - Ravi Zacharias

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God in the ArtsThe Rev Michael Burgess considers ‘The Transfiguration’ by Fra Angelico. It is found in the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence. Our graphic is from Wikimedia Commons at:

The Transfiguration Beholding The Glory

TQ – Tingle Quotient – is the name given to those things that can produce a tingle down the spine or a frisson of excitement. It could be a piece of music or the sight of an evening sunset at sea. We look, we hear, and our sense of wonder as something sublime unfolds before us produces delight and awe. We see a hint of glory that can even lead us to worship.

I think the monk who lived in cell no 6 at the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence must have felt that when he entered his room and saw for the first time the fresco of the Transfiguration that Fra Angelico had painted. I am sure the sight would have stopped him in his tracks, just as Peter, James and John were stopped in their tracks as they beheld their Lord transfigured before them on the mount.

From 1436 Fra Angelico painted a whole series of frescoes for the convent from the High Altar to the Chapter House to the cells of the monks. Here in cell no 6 there is a restrained simplicity and directness about the Transfiguration. One of the three disciples looks out towards us, while the other two are caught up in wonder and awe as they look on Jesus with the faces of Moses and Elijah on either side.

Here Fra Angelico is not seeking to impress a wealthy patron: he is providing a focus for devotion and prayer for the monks of his community. The scene speaks to us of that sense of awe and reverence.

On August 6 we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration. The Gospel accounts relate that special moment of revelation to the inner group of disciples. The glory shown to them evoked a sense of wonder and marvel, but also a sense of loss. For the glory proved elusive and just out of human reach. The moment of revelation passed, and the disciples had to go down the mount again to meet the crying needs of the world, all but forgotten when they were with their Lord on the mountain top.

The monk in his cell would ponder the glory of Fra Angelico’s fresco, knowing that he would be called from his cell to take up his monastic duties. But the painting would go with him to sustain and nurture his life. It is the same with us: we have moments of glory. But they pass, and we must return to our daily lives. As we look on this month’s painting, we sense that glory and wonder which can sustain us through life. As Thomas Jones says in his poem on this episode: Like a pearl we hold

Close to our hearts what we have heard and seen.

Please, Please, Stop Buying Please, Please, Stop Buying Compost With Peat In It Compost With Peat In It

So says the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The large-scale removal of peat from bog “is destroying one of our most precious wildlife habitats. It takes centuries for a peat bog to form with its special wildlife – modern machinery destroys it in days.”

Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but sin is forbidden because it is hurtful. - Benjamin Franklin

The New Testament is a love letter to you from God. - Gregorio Tingson

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Prayers & Poems

The SlideAs I watch

She climbs the steps steadily,Holding the handrail,

Her two-year old feet following each otherRhythmically, unhesitatingly

To the platform at the topWhere she sits down

And freezes.Holding tight to the sides,

Knees up, feet flatShe judders down a little way

Then looks up.Her eyes meet my smile, my outstretched arms –And she takes her hands off the edge of the slide,

Shooting forward with a squeal of delight,Trusting the love she knows.

Lord, I have climbed so steadily,I have come so far, in my own strength,

Holding on, holding back,Sometimes freezing.But I am your child,

Today I will lift my eyesAnd meet your smile, your outstretched arms,

I will lift my juddering feet - And take my hands off the edge of the slide

Released to ride, by your Spirit, Into the freedom of your will,

Trusting the Love I know.By Daphne Kitching

Some comfort for any of your readers who are suffering ill health this summer…

Meditation on the Good Use of Sickness

Lord, you are good and gentle in all your ways; and your mercy is so great that not only the blessings but also the misfortunes of your people are channels of your compassion. Grant that I may turn to you as a Father in my present condition since the change in my own state from health to sickness brings no change to you. You are always the same, and you are my loving Father in times of trouble and in times of joy alike.

Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662), mathematician and scientistMegan Carter recalls: “Whilst looking at the Westminster Catechism, I thought a lot about the opening line ‘What

is the chief end of man?’ It is this thought that motivated me to write the following poem.”

The Chief Purpose of ManHow clever man is, he has conquered the skies,

Reached for the stars and stepped onto the moon,But he still does not know why he is here

Or what is the purpose, or why he was born.

And did it all start with one big bangAs stars and galaxies burst into space?Or was it the hand of a mighty Creator

Who lovingly fashioned this wondrous place?

Into this world God planted a gardenAnd placed man there to enjoy its delights,But he soon disobeyed, and sin entered in,

And so, man was banished and thrust from God’s sight.

How gracious God is, He has reached out againTo reconcile man and bring him back home,

Sin’s debt has been paid by the death of His Son,To know God as Father is why man was born.

By Megan Carter

Nigel Beeton says: “I have really enjoyed being out and about and seeing a bit of life coming back into the town...

just to go out and see people, what a joy!”

The Lockdown LiftsThere’s life in the town!

No longer ‘locked down’!The people stroll out in the sun

The majestic treesSway in the light breeze

Like they wanted to join in the fun!

Like light after dark!We can walk in the park!

Buy our tea, and sit out on the grass!We can chat to our friends

As our loneliness endsAnd we smile at the strangers we pass!

Yes there are still queuesWhich cease to amuse

But things are no longer so black!As they sing in that song -

You miss what is gone,But it’s great when at last it comes back!By Nigel

Beeton

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EASTWOODMEMORY

. CAFE .Meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month

12.30 - 3.00pmPlumptre Hall behind St Mary’s Church, Church Street,

Eastwood, Nottingham NG16 3BSCost £1 per person

No charge for care/nursing home staffA carer or supporter must attend with the person

affected by dementia.We are unable to provide respite care.

Residents of Care and Nursing Homes (accompanied by a relative, carer or member of staff ) are very welcome to

attend. More information can be found on our website at

www.eastwoodmemorycafe.btck.co.uk

Contact us by phone on 07847 716 759, email us at eastwoodmemorycafe@btinternet.com or call in and

see us on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Plumptre Hall from 12.30-3pm

This project has been funded by NHS Nottingham West Clinical Commissioning Group in partnership with Broxtowe Borough

Council as part of the Broxtowe Health Partnership.A 'not for profit' organisation helping those affected by dementia and

their carers to live well.

DUE TO COVID 19 DUE TO COVID 19 THE THE

CHURCH HALL IS CHURCH HALL IS CLOSED.CLOSED.

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Thanking God for the beauty of a late summer morning…

Morning PrayerWhen morning in russet and saffron cladIs mantling the hills in a dew-soft plaid

To the song of the moorland two-wings glad Let my heart upraise;

When light creeps in through the chinks of the doorWhen the mist ascends from the mountain floor,When the ocean shimmers like burnished ore,

Let me give thee praise.

O God of the morning, Christ of the hills,O Spirit who all the firmament fills,

O Trinity blest who all goodness wills, Keep us all our days.

From Prayers of the Western Highlanders

Perhaps this prayer would suit anyone travelling in the countryside this summer….

Lord of the mountainsYou, O God, are the Lord of the mountains and the

valleys. As I travel over mountains and through valleys, I am beneath your feet. You surround me with every kind of creature… Open my eyes to see

their beauty, that I may perceive them as the work of your hands…

Tonight, I will sleep beneath your feet, O Lord of the mountains and valleys, ruler of the trees and vines. I will rest in your love, with you protecting me as a father protects his children, with you watching over

me as a mother watches over her children. Then tomorrow the sun will rise and I will not know where

I am; but I know that you will guide my footsteps. A prayer of the Sioux Indians

St James the Least of All

On The Perils Of Leaving The Pulpit

The RectorySt James the LeastMy dear Nephew Darren

When the churches reopen for public worship (whenever that is!) I hope you will come and take Evensong one Sunday. But, thinking of your visit last August, I would prefer you used the pulpit when preaching. How could Colonel Brockle complete ‘The Times’ crossword and Miss Balmer her knitting with you constantly walking up and down in front of them? They found it most disconcerting, as out of politeness, they were obliged to listen to you. It was a unique experience they do not wish to repeat.

Those few who defy Anglican tradition and sit at the front of the church were also placed in the dilemma of trying to decide whether they should keep turning in their pews as you paraded down the

Keep your distance!

I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch you with a six-foot pole” would become national policy, but here we are!

It’s called ‘take home’ pay because you can’t afford to go anywhere else with it.

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nave and then rotating back to the front as you re-emerged up the side aisle. It did Lady Plumptree’s vertigo no good at all. It also allowed people to see that you were wearing suede shoes. For many of our worshippers, the most appalling of heresies are as nothing when compared to brown shoes under a cassock.

I appreciate you made heroic efforts and got your sermon down to 30 minutes, but that is still 20 minutes longer than they anticipated and 29 minutes longer than their attention span.

No, use the pulpit in future; that is the reason why stonemasons 600 years ago put twenty tons of marble in our church in the first place and it would be a shame to disappoint them. It also means that from a distance of 100 yards and a height of 20 feet, no one can tell that the glass of water I use liberally while preaching is in fact a gin and tonic.

I concede that our pulpit has its dangers. I have known several bishops come to grief as their robes wrap themselves around the newel post as they ascend the steps. One, unable to untangle himself, was obliged to preach while half-way up the steps and with his back to the congregation, while our verger was dispatched to find a pair of scissors.

Perhaps, before your next visit, we may install a mechanical floor in the pulpit, so that after 10 minutes, it slowly lowers you into the crypt while the congregation can get on with singing the last hymn before getting home in decent time.

Your loving uncle,EustaceI love it. Editor

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We Must Be Determined To Be ‘Anti-Racist’

George Floyd is the latest in a long line of black people who, in recent years, have died at the hands of the police in America. This has led to a global outcry against racism, demanding fairness and equality in interpersonal relationships. But more than this, justice requires us to root out and re-order any system, structure, or narrative which privileges white people over people of colour and their cultures, norms, and perspectives.

Many consider racism against black people to be an American problem, but Britain’s imperial history

has given us our own particular brand. While many white people would publicly denounce overtly racist behaviour, many of our systems are inherently racist and some people remain willing and conscious participants in them.

That’s why it’s not enough to check our unconscious biases. We must be determined to be ‘anti-racist’, to work against the status quo wherever it disadvantages black people. This is fundamentally theological: affirming the inherent dignity of all people created in God’s image.

In the UK, recent research demonstrates that black children are twice as likely to live in poverty than white children. Black people face discrimination in employment and health care. They are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police, to get sentenced to prison time and to be given longer sentences than white people. As a country, we have our own stories of excessive force and of the deaths of black people in police custody. Stories that do not end with justice.

These realities are well-known by black people in the UK, including black Christians. Black Brits share the pain of African-Americans suffering under the weight of the same sin and injustice, the same racism.

Yet, the lack of solidarity displayed by many white Christians and leaders has deepened this pain. The unity and witness of the church – as an institution and through its members in society – depend not just on shared faith, but also on shared love and shared burdens. The racial inequities of our churches often fail to speak prophetically to the world – this is a week for lament and repentance.

For those moved to compassion, it’s also a time to listen, learn, and practise solidarity with your black brothers and sisters. Action is the way we bring about a new world. A world that cares, principally, for the ‘least of these’.

Selina Stone, tutor and lecturer in Political Theology at St Mellitus College, considers the current outcry against racism. This article comes from the LICC.org.uk website and is offered here by their kind permission. If you would like to see similar articles on ‘Connecting with Culture’, please go to LICC.org.uk. If you use this article, please credit Selina Stone, LICC.

Worry kills more people than work because more people worry

than work.

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Editor: As events are moving quickly, this story may be overtaken by developments in July or August.

Reopening Of Church Buildings For Public

WorshipFollowing the recent Government announcement that church buildings were able to reopen for public worship from 4th July, the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who leads the Church of England’s Recovery Group, said that the months since lockdown began “have been an extraordinary time - the first period without public worship and the sacraments in England in more than 800 years.”

She said also that there will have been “real joy” as people began “to come together again – if even at a physical distance – but I also know that many will be understandably cautious at this news.

“We will not be returning to normality overnight - this is the next step on a journey. We’ve been planning carefully, making detailed advice available for parishes to enable them to prepare to hold services when it is safe and practical to do so. It is important to say that the change in Government guidance is permissive, not prescriptive. “I would particularly like to thank clergy and lay leaders for all they have done during the time our buildings have been closed.”

Bishop Sarah warned that there will still be restrictions, “and we must all still do everything we can to limit the spread of the virus… The online services and dial-in worship offerings we have become used to will continue.

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for the whole country, especially for those who have been ill, who have suffered financial hardship, the loss of livelihoods and indeed, for many, those they love. We know that is not

over and the Church has a task ahead to bring consolation and hope.

“Churches and cathedrals have risen to the recent challenges, finding new ways of meeting for worship, of serving our neighbours, and of reaching new people with the love of God. The challenge before us now is to take the next steps carefully and safely, without forgetting all that we’ve discovered about God and ourselves on the way.”

I have tried TV's Sunday Morning Service, (not always available) joined an online church service, but there is nothing quite the same as one's own church family, and I really have missed them along with my church. Lets pray we can all meet in some form or other in the near future.Editor.

Graveside Services:1st April - Stanley Maurice Hall

9th April - Elizabeth Ella Parsons16th April - Thomas Oates Hunt

28th April - Brian Bateman12th May - Janice Mellors18th May - Joyce Ratcliffe21st May - David Birkin

28th May - Margaret Trueblood23rd June - Peter & Mavis Davis

Dear FriendsDear FriendsWhile editing the Open-Door Magazine and searching for appropriate articles, I was positively determined not to include anything, well very little, about Covid. I just thought that maybe we had all had enough watching the dreadful news and reading daily papers that appeared to have nothing else to talk about but Covid 19.

In my search I came across the following list of articles and it was then that I realised that we cannot get away from the awful virus no matter how hard we try. I suppose realistically that it is going to be a hard and long-lasting fact, Covid 19, is going to be with us

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for a very long time: -

These are the titles to the articles.Debts and lockdown. Think about making a will and planning your funeral. THE WAY I SEE IT: What have you missed most during lockdown? What is lurking in your garden? (not Covid, possible Japanese plant similar to knotweed) Talking better with your hands. Still love your neighbours? Who is most lonely now? Dramatic rise in home exercise injuries during lockdown. More tantrums and mental health problems. Getting to know next door. Carers who are over 70. Fewer young men die. Your ‘corona bubble’.

Every one of those headings relate to an article about how Covid 19 has had a direct or indirect effect on lives of people in Britain.

i.e. Fewer young men die because they have been in lockdown, not out driving, drinking or doing drugs.

Also: Still love your neighbours? Did you even know your neighbours before Corvid interfered with your life? (Truthfully, I didn’t, but then he fetched me a Newspaper every day, I do now).

Yes, my friends, Virus, well its just a name like Tom or Jim or Moses, is going to be around for a long time so maybe we must accept him as part of our life. Just like Sin, we know its evil, we know it’s there, we don’t like it, we need to take care, we need to avoid it and we need to pray that the Lord Jesus will be with us and guide us as we walk the same road as before, but with added danger.

God Blees us all.EditorPS, This dreadful time has brought us all closer together in strange and different ways. Is the hand of God in there somewhere? What do think?

God in the Sciences

Parable: The Strength of a Seed

At this time of year we enjoy the fruits of our gardens, fields and hedgerows: vegetables ripen, crops are harvested, and berries begin to show bright among the leaves. Much of this growth started with a few seeds in spring: the miracle of life coming from small dead-looking things. There is a league table of long-lived seeds. The winners so far are from the narrow-leafed campion, buried by squirrels in the Siberian permafrost over 30,000 years ago. When those seeds finally germinated, they became healthy plants that flowered and produced seeds of their own.

The Bible contains many links between seeds and spiritual growth, and the parable of the sower is the most famous (in Matthew 13). A person may hear or experience something of God which has the potential to germinate into a life of following Him, resulting in the fruit of others coming to know God too. But things can happen that snatch that seed away, killing it before it has finished germinating, or choking its growth.

What about the knowledge of God that gets trampled, churned too deep in the mire of life to receive the warmth and light it needs to develop into faith? Buried seeds don’t always die, but they can lie dormant, remaining alive but inactive until the earth is turned over. The possibility of that moment of connecting with something divine, scrap of knowledge, or snatch of conversation resulting in a changed life may seem infinitesimally small, but it’s not zero. The seed may be incredibly tough, just waiting for a chance to grow.

The Gospel narrative plays on the fact that it took a long time for the disciples to understand the full implications of Jesus’ teaching: a germination process that took many of them three or more years. They could have been discouraged, but Jesus was not. I don’t think it’s too much of stretch to draw out of the parable of the sower to include the observation that it can take a long time, sometimes decades, for people to work their way through the various barriers, sticking points, and phases of forgetfulness that may keep them from following through on their spiritual experience. When we finally receive – or are open to – the encouragement, challenge, or experience that helps our faith in

The real reason you can’t take it with you is that it goes before you do.

Junk is something you throw away about three weeks before you need it.

Hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they were.

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Christ grow, we can experience the rich fruit of a transformed life.

This series is written by Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, who is Church Engagement Director at The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge. Ruth writes on the positive relationship between Science and Christian faith.

Talking Better With Your Hands

Do you move your arms about when you speak? Probably you do – at least sometimes. Gesturing while we speak has been common behaviour for thousands of years, but it has been less clear as to WHY we do it.

Now a study by scientists at the University of Connecticut has found that there are changes in the size and shape of our chests when we gesture. These changes affect our speech in both tone and volume.

Because of the way our bodies are made, our hand movements influence our torso and throat muscles and our gestures are tightly tied to amplitude. So, that means that, rather than just using your chest muscles to produce air flow for speech, moving your arms about as well can add acoustic emphasis and improve your overall communication.

Tim Lenton looks back on the most awesome weapon ever used…

Atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bombs were dropped over two Japanese cities 75 years ago. This first was at Hiroshima, on 6th August 1945, when the centre of the city was totally destroyed, and 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 died by the end of the year. It was the first city in history to be hit by

a nuclear weapon.

Three days later the US Army Air Forces dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people immediately and about 33,000 more by the end of the year. It was the second (and last) city to experience a nuclear attack.

Both cities had military significance, but most of the dead were civilians. Japan surrendered to the Allies on 15th August. There is little doubt that a conventional invasion of Japan would have cost many more lives, but there is still much debate about the legal and ethical justification of atomic bombing. The Vatican felt that the inventors of the weapon should have destroyed it for the benefit of humanity, and the Rev Cuthbert Thicknesse, Dean of St Albans, prohibited using St Albans Abbey for a thanksgiving service for the end of the war, calling the use of atomic weapons “an act of wholesale, indiscriminate massacre”.

Nagasaki was targeted in place of Kyoto – the original choice – because of Kyoto’s historical, religious and cultural significance. It was also where Henry Stimson, the US Secretary of War, had gone for his honeymoon.

Hiroshima was further devastated just over a month later, when it was struck by Typhoon Ida. Both cities have been rebuilt, with peace memorials.

Four years later the Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb, and the United States responded by developing a hydrogen bomb – a thousand times more powerful.

As American historian Will Durant (1885–1981) once said, ‘One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and

always a clever thing to say.’

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All In The Month Of August

It was:

250 years ago, on 22nd August 1770 that British explorer Captain James Cook discovered eastern Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Britain.

150 years ago, on 4th August 1870 that the British Red Cross Society was founded.

125 years ago, on 10th August 1895 that the Proms (Promenade Concerts) began in London.

100 years ago, on 21st August 1920 that Christopher Robin Milne was born. He was son of the author A. A. Milne, and he appeared as a character in his father’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. (Died 1996.)

90 years ago, from 16th to 23rd August 1930 that the first British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

80 years ago, on 13th August 1940 that the main phase of the Battle of Britain began. The German Luftwaffe launched raids on RAF airfields and radar installations. On 29th August Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Royal Air Force in a famous House of Commons speech, saying, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

75 years ago, on 6th August 1945 that the US Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The centre of the city was totally destroyed, and 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 died by the end of the year. It was the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear weapon.

Also 75 years ago, on 9th August 1945 that the US Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. 40,000 people died immediately and about 33,000 more by the end of the year. It was the second (and last)

city to experience a nuclear attack.

70 years ago, on 15th August 1950 that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was born. She is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

60 years ago, on 8th August 1960 that the pop song Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini by Brian Hyland became a worldwide hit. The record had been released in June.

40 years ago, on 14th August 1980 that Lech Walesa led a strike by shipyard workers in Gdansk, Poland, to protest against the dismissal of a trade union activist. On 30th August the striking workers won the right to establish independent trade unions. This led to the formation of the Solidarity movement.

30 years ago, from 2nd August 1990 to 28th February 1991 the Gulf War took place. On 2nd August Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United Nations Security Council then ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq. On 7th August the USA launched Operation Desert Shield, and then Operation Desert Storm, to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia. Coalition victory.

20 years ago, on 5th August 2000 that Sir Alec Guinness, British stage and film actor (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, Star Wars, etc) died.

15 years ago, from 23rd to 31st August, Hurricane Katrina hit the Bahamas, Cuba and the southern US states. New Orleans was badly affected when the levee system failed, and 80% of the city was under water for weeks. Florida and Mississippi were also badly hit. More than 1,800 people died. It was the costliest natural disaster in US history.

10 years ago, on 5th August 2010 a cave-in at the San Jose copper and gold mine near Copiapo in northern Chile trapped 33 workers 700 metres underground. An international rescue operation was launched, and they were brought to the surface on 13th October after being trapped for 69 days. Around one billion people watched the rescue on TV.

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God does not wish us to remember what He is willing to forget. -

George A Buttrick

Who’s Right For Which Job?Does your company struggle with the problem of properly fitting people to jobs? Here is a handy way to decide…. Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing. If they have taken the table apart in that time, put them in Engineering. If they are counting the cracks in the floor, assign them to Finance. If they are screaming and waving their arms, send them to Manufacturing. If they are talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good place for them. If they are sleeping, they are Management material. If they are writing up the experience, send them to Technical Publications. If they don’t even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security. If they try to tell you it’s not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing. And if they’ve left early, put them in Sales.