The Lamb

Parish magazine for Holy Trinity, Cornforth & St. Luke's, Ferryhill

Inside this Edition:

From Our Vicar—p2-3

Talk to Tim — p4

Our Newest Cake-baker—p4

Reader’s Rant— p5

The Church Pulpit—p6

Peareth-Watts Wedding —p7

Hymn of the Month—p8

Christian Aid Big Brekkie—p9

Durham Diocese Generous Giving

Project—p10—p12

Bible Bite Children’s Page—p13

Wordsearch— p14

Social Groups and Events —p15

Contacts—p16

Earlier issues of this magazine and

details of events are available on

our website:

www.stlukesferryhill.co.uk

July 2016

40p

The splendid pulpit at St Mary’s, Whitby.

2

FROM OUR VICAR

In this month’s episode of the Lamb I want to let you

know about major new initiative coming early next

year called “Talking Jesus”.

Talking Jesus is a fantastic opportunity for Durham diocese to unite together in

locally organised mission, outreach and evangelism.

Basically it comprises of a team led by Archbishop Sentamu, and the bishops of

the northern province to come and visit the diocese from the 2nd to 5 March

2015. In all probability this will mean 15 to 20 bishops visiting the diocese

alongside 14 or more teams composed of a mix of lay people, youth workers,

ordinands and clergy. These teams are at the disposal of the local churches to

raise their profile in mission and to encourage all churches to engage in mis-

sion.

Every deanery and each of the parishes within every deanery are being encour-

aged to plan an event which invites new people in and to which a Bishop and

their accompanying team can come along and attend. Each bishop will then

seek to proactively support the event by being there to talk about Jesus or an-

swer questions about the Christian faith and give the local church family a

boost.

The nature of the event is up to the church community itself it might for exam-

ple be a special tea or some kind of food event where refreshments et cetera

laid on it might be a games-based event or some other fun activity or it could

even be a quiz night or wine tasting event.

The emphasis here is very much about reaching out and inviting new people to

come along and feel welcomed by the church community. It gives us an oppor-

tunity to come alongside them and it gives them a chance to meet us and see

what we are about as “churches where the love of Jesus can be found”

I think this is an incredible opportunity that we should really try and embrace as we look to our future mission here in this place.

3

What is our mission? Well perhaps the simplest way to describe what we are

about as the local church is encapsulated in this sentence: – “As those who

are loved by God, we want to help others to know they are

loved by God too”

As we draw nearer to the time of the “Talking Jesus” mission I will invite and

ask for people to come and help out with some of the preparation for the event

to please try and support this if you possibly can. We will also need to really

make sure we invite all our friends and families as well as publicise this right

across the parish and again we need everybody’s help to be able to do this.

As we begin to explore what sort of event we might put on here I invite you to

please pray for this initiative and all who will help to make it happen here!

O God our father,

we thank you for your great love shown to us in Jesus,

and that you have called us into the fellowship of your church:

as we prepare for mission with our bishops,

open our eyes to your wonderful possibilities;

lead us to those whose hearts you are touching,

that we may bring them to Jesus

and learn together to follow him;

for you are our hope and our eternal salvation,

and in his name we pray.

Amen

4

Talk to Tim Ferryhill Town PCSO 7884 Tim Gilks will be holding a ‘beat surgery’ in St Lukes, as part of the Friday Lunch sessions. Dates can be found below and elsewhere in the magazine. Tim has been working in Ferryhill for about two months as the Town Centre PCSO, having previ-ously been based in Darlington. Before joining the Police, he was self-employed and is a former amateur Football Referee. Tim is a Christian and an active member of both The Christian Police Association, and his local Church where he is a member of the PCC and an Altar Server. Tim would like to discuss any issues or concerns local people may have, in the informal setting of the Friday Lunches at St Luke’s. Tim will be at the Friday Lunches for a ‘Beat Surgery’ on the following dates – Friday 8 July, 22 July, 5 Aug, 19 Aug, 2 Sept. He will be in the hall from 12 – 13.00 if anyone wants to talk to him.

WELCOME TO LOLA LOUISE

CURRY,

OUR YOUNGEST CAKE BAKER!

STRAWBERRY TEAS

THE LADIES’ FELLOWSHIP WOULD LIKE TO

THANK ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE

STRAWBERRY TEA ON WEDNESDAY 8TH

JUNE, AS WELL AS ALL THOSE WHO

SUPPORTED THE EVENT BY BAKING AND

DONATING ITEMS. THE STRAWBERRY TEAS

RAISED THE GRAND SUM OF £238.50 FOR

ST LUKE’S CHURCH.

5

Readers Rant

Oh it’s only the Reader taking the service today--I won't bother to go! Believe it or not but that is occasionally heard in parishes where a Read-er is only seen and heard when the Vicar is away or ill. Some think that a reader is just a substitute for the clergy, instead of readership being understood as a ministry in its own right. This year brings150 years of Reader ministry, and celebrations will be taking place up and down the country to mark this event. I want to include a letter written by Prince Philip who is the patron for Readers, the letter is written from Sandringham House.

The ‘Resolution Unanimously Agreed to by a Meeting of Archbishops and Bishops held at Lambeth Palace on Ascension day 1866’ which established

the Office of Reader, turned out to be one of the most significant in the history of the Church of England, not to replace Priests, but to support

them in bringing growing number of members together for worship. The institution has been an unqual-ified success in providing informal leadership in all sorts of circumstances. Their services may not be con-spicuous, but readers have undoubtedly made a very significant contribution to the life of the church. I know that everyone who has enjoyed the services od a reader joins me in congratulating and thanking Readers, past and present, for their selfless and invaluable service to so many members of the Church

of England over the past 150years.

Philip

Over the years, I have spoken many times about Reader ministry in the magazine and how it has gradually developed within the Church of England. St Luke’s has been blessed with a number of read-ers over the years. I suspect some of you may even remember some of them. As far back as I can re-member, we have had Walter Brunskill, Fred Hurrell, Jim Ward, Douglas Guthrie, Peter Beatty, Geoffrey Gregg, Clifford Chambers, Jean Guthrie, Linda Lindsay and yours truly. I have been associated with St. Luke’s since I was 7 or 8years old, and was licensed as a reader at a service in the cathedral in September 1978. People often ask how I became a reader. At the beginning I hadn’t even heard of readers, I just thought the above people were part of the furniture of St. Luke’s. How wrong I was. Some people say they are called to ministry. I just can’t remember a time when I didn’t go to church. Not that I was forced to go I just found it special for me come to St. Luke’s. One day I was called by Vicar Wears into his study with Geoffrey Gregg and asked if we would be interested in attending the reader’s course. The rest is history, and 38yrs later I am still here, with loads of experiences and stories, some sad, some happy, to share with others. People often forget just how long I have been coming to St. Luke’s. I have worked under Vicar Wears, Peter Baldwin, Keith Lumsdon and now Gary Norman. We were also a training parish, hence several curates, I have tried to remember all their names, (you may be able to help me out with some of these), but suffice to say at least 8 in number, maybe more, and another on the way, as we shortly wel-come Lesley Sutherland as deacon to the Parish. We now look to a new challenge in the parish, and a challenge it will be. We, Readers have a magazine with comes out periodically and there are some quotes from readers I would like to leave you with this month. “Reader Ministry, putting the past into the future”. “It is a privilege to be a reader when Lay ministry is starting to become ever more vital to the church”. “Looking back with gratitude at 150yrs of preaching, teaching and leading from the shop floor, and looking forward to see what this might mean in the future”.

Amen to that. Les

6

‘He gave us eyes to see them’ – Church Pulpits

It is a steep climb of 199 steps that leads the visitor to Whitby from the streets below to the church of St Mary’s that stands near the ruined abbey. Having negotiated the climb, the visitor enters the church and is greeted by a glorious array of Georgian furnishings: box pews and a triple decker pulpit with candle-sticks and cushions. The clerk would sit at the bottom level to give out the notices, the parson would lead the service in the middle, and then he would ascend to the third level to expound the Word of God.

George Herbert says that for the country parson the pulpit should be ‘his joy and his throne.’ Sydney Smith had a different slant when he wrote on going into the pulpit of All Saints Church in Foston in 1806: ‘When I began to thump the pulpit cushion on my first coming to Foston, the accumulated dust of 150 years made such a cloud that for some minutes I lost sight of the congregation.’ Not so at Whitby where the church is cared for and well loved.

Today preachers often remain at ground level, the better to interact with their congregations, but here at St Mary’s Church the pulpit is a sign of the importance of teaching the Word: not because the preach-er stands eight feet above contradiction, but to allow people to see and hear.

The word ‘pulpit’ means a platform or raised area to address the gathered family of God. As we look on in the pews, it stands often on our left. But God looks at us from the east end of the church and the pul-pit stands at his right hand: a sign that the sermon can be the divinely inspired message of prophet and teacher, and so become living and active in the minds and hearts of its hearers.

A Prayer for Mornings

Dear God, So far today I am doing alright.

I have not gossiped, lost my temper,

been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent.

However, I’m getting out of bed in a few minutes and I will need a lot

more help after that!

7

A wedding at St Luke’s – Stephanie Peareth and Nigel Watts

11th

June 2016

Reverend Gary presents the bride and groom, Nigel and Stephanie Watts,

with their marriage certificate after their wedding at St Luke’s on Satur-

day 11th June 2016. We wish them every blessing for the future.

Getting ready Two children watched their grandmother reading her Bible. ‘Why does she do that?’ whispered one. ‘I expect she’s studying for her final exams,’ came the reply.

Life choice A small boy returned from Sunday School in tears. When questioned by his mother for the reason of his distress, he gulped: ‘Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, but I want to be an engine driver.’

No worries A 102 year-old lady was asked if she had any worries about the future, and replied: “Not since I got my eldest son into an old people’s home.’

Light? Sometimes you can’t be sure whether some people are light-hearted or light-headed.

8

Hymn of the month – “Firmly I believe and truly” - by Philip Deane

We are now well and truly into the Trinity season and I feel prompted to choose this hymn after hearing it on Trinity Sunday in a broadcast service from Leeds RC Cathedral. These words were never intended to be sung, but are an extract from a longer poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-90) titled “The Dream of Gerontius” in which an aged monk (Gerontius) imagines the experience of passing from this life into the next. I have heard it said that the whole poem was rescued from a waste paper basket after Newman had discarded it. We should be grateful for that, or we’d be missing not only this hymn and “Praise to the holiest” but also Sir Edward Elgar’s wonderful oratorio of 1900 - “The Dream of Gerontius”!

Newman is of considerable interest to both Anglicans and Roman Catholics. He was brought up as an Evangelical member of the Church of England, studied at Oxford and was ordained at the age of 23. Aca-demically brilliant and with a special interest in the Fathers of the early Church, he became Vicar of the University Church of St. Mary’s, Oxford in 1828, a post he held until 1843. In 1833 he became a leading light in the Oxford Movement which attempted to restore an awareness in the C of E of its Catholic and Apostolic heritage. This also became known as the Tractarian movement (on account of its many and some controversial Tracts published) and later developed into what we now know as Anglo-Catholicism. He resigned his post at St. Mary’s in 1843 and after much agonising joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1845. He later became a priest in that Church and was made Cardinal in 1879. After his death in 1890 he was buried in the grounds of the Birmingham Oratory he had founded in 1849.

“Firmly I believe” is essentially a summary of the Christian Creed, and we sang it as such on Trinity Sunday at Cornforth a few years ago to the tune “Stuttgart”. The tune I was brought up with, however, is that in the English Hymnal – Vaughan Williams’ arrangement of the jaunty English folk tune “Shipston”.

1. Firmly I believe and truly

God is Three, and God is One;

And I next acknowledge duly

Manhood taken by the Son.

2. And I trust and hope most fully

In that manhood crucified;

And each thought and deed unruly

Do to death, as he has died.

3. Simply to his grace and wholly

Light and life and strength belong,

And I love supremely, solely,

Him the holy, him the strong.

4. And I hold in veneration,

For the love of him alone,

Holy Church as his creation,

And her teachings as his own.

5. Adoration aye be given,

With and through the angelic host,

To the God of earth and heaven

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Cardinal Newman

9

CHRISTIAN AID BIG BREKKIE

On Friday June 3rd a Big Brekkie was held on behalf of Christian Aid in St Lukes Centre. The regular visitors were joined by those who came along to enjoy the fellowship, the food and raise money for the charity. Chris-tian Aid aim to provide urgent, practical and effective help where need is great across the world, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes. Rev Gary who was employed in the kitchen, was voted by the kitchen staff as the best egg fryer in the NE, was quoted as saying "I thought I was coming as Vicar not a shallow fat fryer (friar lol!)". The food was enjoyed by everyone including Darcy (1yrs) old who was there, for the first time, with her Mum and Great Grandma, Chloe (almost 2yrs) who is a regular at the Friday Lunches and her review of the food.. "Bacon NICE!!". Councillor John Lindsay attended the Event to support a local initiative for a good cause and enjoyed a bacon sandwich. Some who attended for the Big Brekkie were interested in the work of the charity and were able to read some of the information which was available.

10

By Edward McGowan

The Generous Giving Project

Part 2. Don’t Mention The ‘M’ Word

Rachael Phillips

I feel I can speak with confidence about how

much people hate talking about money be-

cause I’m in that boat too.

A few weeks ago I had a leak in the bathroom.

After the plumber had finished, he showed me

what he’d done and we walked downstairs.

Then came the inevitable and extremely awk-

ward bit. Stalling for time, I asked if he wanted

another cup of tea. He had his tool bag in his

hands and was ready for home, but thankfully

he said yes. We talked and talked. Ten minutes

passed. I hoped my husband would come

home soon so he could deal with the situation.

He didn’t. It was up to me. Conversation had

run dry and he said ‘Right’ as he stood up,

which of course means ‘I’m off’. So I had to do

it. We had to talk about money. It seemed vul-

gar and rude, but he had to be paid for his

work. I didn’t want to use the ‘m’ word, so I

opted for ‘So… what’ll it be?’ and I made a smi-

ley face and raised my eyebrows which I

hoped would hide my embarrassment, but it

probably didn’t. He told me the amount, and I

paid him, and it was all over. Phew. We don’t

have a problem with paying for things in Brit-

ain. But we do have a problem with talking

about it.

11

When I was in the Army and working in Af-

ghanistan, I learned that when people intro-

duced themselves, one of the first questions a

stranger will be asked after ‘what do you do?’

is ‘what do you earn?’

In Afghanistan it is a perfectly legitimate

question, and no-one feels shy about it. It’s

like asking someone their height. Here in Brit-

ain we don’t discuss our income with our

friends and often not even with our family.

We can feel awkward about money in church

too. I’ve felt really embarrassed in churches

before. Once I visited a church for the first

time and the collection plate was at the back,

and I missed it altogether. I’d given nothing!

Another time I was at Salisbury Cathedral and

had given all the money I was carrying during

the offertory. After the service, when I was at

the front of the queue to get coffee, I realised

that I couldn’t contribute, so I left the queue

empty handed because I couldn’t bear not

contributing (or having to explain myself).

These examples are silly but true. I’ve since

been told that the church is a place of grace

and love and no-one would have judged me

at all. This is true. The problem didn’t lie with

other people. It was all my own embarrass-

ment about money.

Why is it embarrassing? Some people don’t

like talking about money because they don’t

have much of it. Other people don’t like talk-

ing about money because they have too much

of it. Whatever the reason, there’s something

within us that makes the topic of money

something we want to avoid at all costs.

The thing is, if we are going to respond to

God’s love by giving, which is what we are

called to do, then we have to face it. We have

to talk about money. Why? Well contributing

money (however much) to our church funds

helps our parish church to continue its work.

We give money to our church because God

loves us and we want to share that message

of love with our neighbour.

Continued on page 10…..

12

God thank you for loving me and for all the gifts you give me. You give freely, without con-

dition, and without embarrassment. You do not hold back. Please teach me to follow your

ways. Forgive my embarrassment God; please don’t let it get in the way of my giving. I am

like a child, O Lord, and I need direction and strength. I pray you will fill my heart with your

Holy Spirit, and enable me to talk about money with grace.

Amen

It seems simple enough, but the act of hand-

ing over money or talking about handing over

money or even thinking about having to talk

about handing over money…. Makes us pretty

uncomfortable.

Jesus spoke about money 33 times in the gos-

pels. Maybe we could learn something from

that. If we’re going to make a change, if we’re

going to see our churches and communities

transformed by God’s love and generosity

then we have to say it:

MONEY MONEY MONEY.

Imagine if we could embrace conversations

about money. I wonder how it would make

our vicars feel when preaching about money if

they knew we weren't squirming in our seats.

I'd love to see the look on your vicar's face if,

next time you saw them, you told them you're

ready to talk about money…

Next time you walk into church, look around

and feel blessed that it exists for you and your

community because of the money (donations

big or small) you and generations before you

have given. Next time you are praying, pray

for the people in your Parish, that they may

feel peace when talking about money, and to

those whose lives are a struggle because they

feel they don’t have enough, or they are em-

barrassed about having too much.

13

14

Wordsearch clues for July 2016

10th July brings us Sea Sunday, the day when Christian churches remember, pray and give thanks for the more than 1.5 million merchant seafarers worldwide. If seafarers seem irrelevant to your daily life, think again: 90 per cent of everything you buy in the shops comes to you by sea. Merchant seafarers quite lit-erally keep our global economy afloat. Yet it is a tough life, far from loved ones. Merchant ships are harsh working environments, never mind the threat of piracy or even shipwreck.

To help the seafarers, a worldwide network of port chaplains has sprung up. They offer hospitality and friendship, as well as practical, emotional and spiritual support, providing almost a ‘home from home’ in hundreds of ports, in more than 50 countries. You might wish to support one of these three well-known societies: The Mission to Seafarers (Anglican), The Apostolate of the Sea (Roman Catholic), and The Sail-ors’ Society (inter-denominational).

July

Sea

Sunday

Remember

Pray

Give

Thanks

Merchant

Seafarers

Daily

Shops

Economy

Afloat

Harsh

Working

Environments

Piracy

Shipwreck

Hundreds

Global

Port

Chaplains

Hospitality

Friendship

Practical

15

Church events and social groups

St Luke’s Ferryhill Ladies’ Fellowship The Ladies’ Fellowship takes place on the last Thursday of the month in the Parish Centre. During the summer months the meetings start at 7.00pm and from October at 1.30pm. A spokesperson for the La-dies’ Fellowship said, "Everyone is most welcome at our meetings where they can enjoy entertainment, fellowship and friendship." The next meeting is on Thursday 28th July at 7.00pm. Holy Trinity Cornforth Ladies’ Fellowship The next meeting will be held at the church hall, West Cornforth, on Wednesday 6th July 2016 at 7.00pm. This month the Ladies’ Fellowship are having their annual outing. See Jacki Curle for details. The group meets on the first Wednesday of every month; anyone who would like to come along would be most welcome.

The Phoenix Group

Children are warmly welcomed to the Group where they will enjoy team games, craft nights, cooking, trips, etc. A spokesperson for the Group said, "The children come from different schools and it gives them an opportunity to learn, have fun and make new friends".

The Friday Lunches

The Friday Lunches continue with a full menu of soups, dinners and desserts. The cake stall will also be available.

Talk to Tim PCSO Tim Gilks will be at the Friday Lunches for a ‘Beat Surgery’ on the following dates – Friday 8 July, 22 July, 5 Aug, 19 Aug, 2 Sept. He will be in the hall from 12 – 13.00 if anyone would like to talk to him.

Mother and Toddler Group

The Group has fantastic support from parents, grandparents and carers who enjoy a chat and a cuppa while their children play in a safe, fun environment. The Group is open during term time, please check notices for more details, and a warm welcome awaits all 'old' and new children.

St Luke’s Summer Fayre is on Saturday 2nd July in the Parish Centre from 10.30 am on-wards. There will be various stalls, a tombola, teas, coffees and bacon butties on sale.

Raffle—Bottle stall— Bric a brac & books—Guess the weight of the cake

Refreshments—Cake stall—Tombola—£1 stall

Pick a Pocket—Tin stall—Toiletries—Bat-a rat game—Pick-a-card game

16

THE PARISH OF CORNFORTH AND FERRYHILL Holy Trinity Cornforth St Luke’s Ferryhill

St Luke’s Vicarage, Church Lane Ferryhill DL17 8LT 01740 655232

CHURCH SERVICES

HOLY TRINITY CORNFORTH SUNG EUCHARIST SUNDAY AT 11.00 AM

HOLY COMMUNION WEDNESDAY AT 9.30 AM

ST LUKE’S FERRYHILL SUNG EUCHARIST SUNDAY AT 9.30 AM

HOLY COMMUNION THURSDAY AT 9.30 AM

BODY AND SOUL SERVICE 11.30 AM FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH,

FOLLOWED BY REFRESHMENTS

Vicar Reverend Gary Norman, St Luke’s Vicarage, Church Lane, Ferryhill 01740 655232

Reader Mr. Les Lewis, Wm Keers Crescent, Ferryhill 07815 188961

Authorised Pastoral Assistant

Mrs Kathleen Armstrong, Chez Nous, Linden Rd, Ferryhill 01740 651748

Parish Office in St Luke’s

Monday 5.30pm — 7.00pm

Upstairs in St Luke’s Parish Centre

Arrangements for baptisms, weddings: 01740 655232

Hall bookings etc. can be made on: 01740 653295

HOLY TRINITY CORNFORTH

Churchwardens Mrs June Ingham, The Green, West Cornforth 01740 654346

Mrs Jacki Curle, 9 Windsor Terrace, West Cornforth 07760 423136

Deputy Wardens Mr Raymond Curle Mrs Maureen Chapman

Organist Mrs Ann Lumsdon For baptisms and other enquiries ring Mrs Jacki Curle ST LUKE’S FERRYHILL Churchwardens Mr. Harry Slater, 71 Church Lane, Ferryhill 01740 651564

Mrs Viv Milburn, 34 North Street, Ferryhill 01740 657945 PCC&DCC Secretary Mrs Kathleen Armstrong, Chez Nous, 2 Linden Rd, Ferryhill 01740 651748 Deputy Wardens Mr. Anthony Rutter

Mrs Ann Collinson Organist Mr. Philip Deane Centre Caretakers Susan Dent and Christine Zamir CHURCH MAGAZINE EDITOR Mrs Loraine Maddison 07702 227011 Articles for submission can be sent to: - loraine.maddison@gmail.com WEBSITE www.stlukesferryhill.co.uk FACEBOOK St Luke Ferryhill TWITTER @stluke1853