Bishop Robert welcomes the Very Reverend Nigel Godfrey as the new Dean of the Cathedral Church of St German, along with The Venerable

Andrew Brown as the new Archdeacon, and Canon Colin Finney, Warden of Readers, as an Honorary Canon. (Inset, right) Nigel makes the statutory declarations with his hand on the Bible held by the Worshipful Clare Faulds, the Vicar General.

No. 389 November 2011

PARISH NEWS From the Cathedral and Parish Church of St. German, Peel

Worship, teaching and service

Suggested Donation - 70p

The new Dean, the Very Reverend Nigel Godfrey,

was appointed as vicar and sub-dean of St German’s Cathedral in 2007, having previously been principal of the ordination training course in the Diocese of Southwark, chair of the associated University of Wales (Bangor) Centre for Ministry Studies, and a chaplain at Southwark Cathedral.

Nigel’s priestly ministry began in inner city Brixton where he lived in a ‘new monastic’ community while running courses for the diocese training Spiritual Directors. He was also vicar of the near redundant Christ Church North Brixton. The 2000 seater domed basilica was adapted to meet changing needs and became home to five Christian churches with a staff of fifty.

Before being ordained Nigel was a Town Planner with Nottingham County Council. He trained at Cuddesdon, Oxford with a placement year at the Taizé community, being ordained deacon in 1979.

Nigel’s first task as Dean was to install the new Archdeacon of the Isle of Man as a member of the Cathedral Chapter.

The new Archdeacon, the Venerable Andrew Brown,

came to us from having been Canon Theologian at Derby Cathedral. As well as being Archdeacon of Man, he is also the Vicar of St George’s in Douglas.

The Cathedral Chapter of Saint German is a corporation consisting

of the Dean, the Archdeacon and four Canons.

The Bishop has formed a body known as the “Great Chapter”, consisting of members of the Cathedral Chapter together with a number of people chosen by the Bishop as Honorary or Lay Canons. Each Canon, Honorary Canon and Lay Canon accepts an area of responsibility for the Island-wide life and mission of the Cathedral. Honorary and Lay Canons are appointed for a period of five years.

The new Lay Canon, Mr Colin Finney,

is Operations Manager (harbours and coastguard) for the Department of Infrastructure, and Warden of Readers for the Diocese.

St German’s Cathedral is also the Parish Church of the parish of German, which includes the town of Peel, and as such has a Vicar (who is ex officio Dean of the Cathedral), a Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Church-wardens, as any other parish church. In 2009 a Cathedral Consultative Council was formed as the principal means of liaison between the Cathedral Chapter and the PCC.

Editor: Chris Hutt chris@huttprofessional.co.uk 840428 The editor is happy to publish articles from contributors but they do not

necessarily represent the views of the Editor or the Church. Please submit articles for consideration by the 25th of each month.

New Dean, New Dawn...

A message from the Very Reverend Nigel Godfrey

My first experience of being addressed as the Dean, was standing in for the Bishop at the International Business School graduation ceremony at the Cathedral. The reference to the Dean, I assumed was a reference to the academic Dean of the University, and only on the third occasion it was used did I realise from the context that it was a reference to me.

For others I have acquired a new Christian name 'Dean' instead of 'Nigel'. So does life feel different? - No, but what is different is that the Cathedral

has reached a point in its history with a number of significant things happening at the same time. The 'Deanery' will be complete in early 2012, we shall be vacating the Cathedral from the beginning of January for three months or so while re-wiring takes place and during this time we will be making our new temporary home in the Corrin Hall.

The re-wiring (costing in excess of £200,000) has been made possible by the generosity of people who have faithfully worshipped at the Cathedral in the past or simply people of the Island who have seen the value of the Cathederal's ministry. If it were not for the legacy of donors whose names

have been preserved through Trusts such as Kermode, Cubbon and Squires or who have recently died and left instructions in their Will, such as Cyril Cannell, Annie Kneen and Joyce Barton this work would simply not have been possible.

This is all about maintenance and renewal of buildings to house the ministers and the ministry of the Cathedral - yet All Saints-Tide reminds us that the church is not fundamentally about buildings, but rather the body of Christ gathering together week by week to worship God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and share God's love with our neighbours. Our church building

must serve the people of God in their mission and not be an end in itself. If the building becomes an end in itself we simply become custodians of a museum with a millstone around our necks rather than our buildings being a valuable resource for mission.

We take the opportunity to thank God for the generosity of people who have made it possible to help us make our buildings meet current needs. There is a long way to go, but we have made a start.

Blessings,

Nigel The Very Revd. Nigel Godfrey

“God loves a cheerful giver”

Stewardship Sunday, 23rd October 2011

The call for each of us to consider our financial

contribution to the life of the Cathedral

Most of us will know the story of the widow and the two copper coins (if not then have a look at Mark 12: 41-44). Perhaps we know it too well, so let

me try a slightly more modern analogy.

Imagine you are the father of two young children. You are reasonably well off so you give your first son £20 a week pocket money (that’s inflation for you!). Today is your birthday and you come down to breakfast to find your older son already at the breakfast table. As you sit down his mother nudges him, and grudgingly your son hands over a small present and wishes you a happy birthday. On opening the present you’re delighted to see that it’s a paperback novel costing £4.99 that you’ve wanted for some time, but the fact that your son has now disappeared to his bedroom with

his Playstation game that he bought with the rest of this week’s pocket money can’t help but make you feel a little disappointed.

Now imagine that same scene, except that this time with your younger son, who only receives £5 per week pocket money. You wake up on your birthday, but before you can even get your dressing gown on your son bounces into your bedroom with a beaming smile on his face, shouts “Happy Birthday Daddy!” and hands you a present. In his excitement he tears off the wrapping paper for you, and proudly hands over exactly the same £4.99 paperback book. With a look of delight he asks whether you

like it, and even though he doesn’t understand a word of what’s written in it he wants to get into bed with you and sit with you while you read it to him.

Which son do you love more? You love both of them just the same, of course; after all, the love of a parent is unconditional. But which son gave you the most pleasure (and in return received the most joy themselves)? You received the same gift, but not only was the second gift sacrificial, it was joyfully given. If a £4.99 paperback could do that for a parent, how much more joy must it bring to God when we give back to him some of our pocket money each week? Perhaps we need to remember that no matter how hard we work for our salaries and pensions, the truth is we don’t

actually earn them - they are simply God’s provision to us. You probably ran errands or did chores at home in return for your pocket money as a child, but do you honestly think that you earned the pocket money, or was it really just a gift from your parents? In the same way God gives each of

us as much pocket money as we need, so the fact of the matter is anything we give back to him is his in the first place.

Does the father in our story think “I gave that pocket money to my son in the first place so I don’t know what I’m so happy about”? Of course not, he simply sees the joy in his son’s giving, and everything else is irrelevant. Chances are that on the way home from work that evening the father picks up a Playstation game for his son anyway because of the joy he’s brought him, and God will do exactly the same for us. But don’t give to God in the simple hope that he will give more back to you, give to him because he has already given to you.

It’s not about how much we give. It’s about how much pleasure we take

from the privilege of giving.

And as you consider your financial pledge to St. German’s over the next twelve months, remember, the government wants to share your pleasure in the privilege of giving, supplementing your contribution by an additional 10%, or by an additional 20% if you are a higher rate tax payer.

COVENANT your annual contribution and

- Your gift will turn up regularly even if you are unable to

- The government will top-up your pledge by reducing your annual tax bill

Example: If I want to give through the envelope scheme

with a cost to me of £ 10.00 per week

- then I give to the church -

£11.11 £12.50

If I pay tax at 10% If I pay tax at 20%

ACTION

1) Complete the Bankers Order form in your Stewardship pack stating the GROSS amount of your gift and send it to YOUR Bank

2) Complete the yellow Pledge Card in your Stewardship pack and place it in the envelope already addressed to: The Treasurer, St. German’s.

3) Place the sealed envelope in the collection plate next Sunday.

4) The Treasurer will send you a receipt for inclusion with your

Tax return for the financial year ending 5th April 2012

N.B. - ALL Donations are confidential between you and the Treasurer.

Calendar for November

02/11 02/11

BCP Eucharist Caterpillar Club

0930 1030

Cathedral Cathedral

04/11 Acorn Listening Course 1930 Corrin Hall 05/11 Acorn Listening Course 1000 – 1600 Corrin Hall

06/11 20th Sunday after Trinity BCP Eucharist Eucharist Evensong

0830 1030 1530

Cathedral Cathedral Cathedral

07/11 PCC 1930 Corrin Hall 08/11 Diocesan Certificate course 1300 - 1500 St John’s Mill 09/11 BCP Eucharist 0930 Cathedral 09/11 Tell us what God has done 1930 TBA

13/11 21st Sunday after Trinity Remembrance Sunday BCP Eucharist Eucharist Service of Remembrance

0830 1030 1500

Cathedral Cathedral Cathedral

14/11 MU - Mrs Margaret Cubbon MU Enterprises

1930 Netloft

15/11 Diocesan Certificate course 1300 -1500 St John’s Mill 16/11 BCP Eucharist 0930 Cathedral

20/11 Christ the King Sunday next before Advent BCP Eucharist Eucharist BCP Evensong (Note NEW time)

0830 1030 1830

Cathedral Cathedral Cathedral

22/11 Diocesan Certificate course 1300 - 1500 St John’s Mill 23/11 BCP Eucharist 0930 Cathedral 23/11 Tell us what God has done 1930 TBA

27/11 Advent BCP Eucharist Eucharist Advent Carol Service

0830 1030 1830

Cathedral Cathedral Cathedral

ADVENT EXHIBITION opens 0900 - 1800 Cathedral

28/11 MU - Revd James McGowan 1930 Netloft 29/11 Diocesan Certificate course 1300 - 1500 St John’s Mill 30/11 BCP Eucharist 0930 Cathedral

From the Registers

BAPTISM 2nd October

Tia Louise Susie Pownall 16th October

Julian & Florentine Chimene Talbot

Erin Faye Crellin

IN MEMORIAM

Stanley Crane died: 30th September 2011, funeral: 12th October

Please remember all these and their families in your prayers.

Annual Key Audit

Do you hold keys for the Cathedral or for the Corrin Hall?

Please make sure that you let Val Garrett know which keys you have. To reduce the number of keys in circulation and minimise key cutting costs

only regular users of the Corrin Hall and Cathedral should have keys.

Cathedral to close in January 2012....

Advance notice - the Cathedral will be closing after the 10.30am service on

Sunday 1stJanuary 2012 and will remain closed until Easter while essential rewiring and installation of a new fire alarm system are completed.

Services will be held in the Corrin Hall until further notice.

HANDBELLS

I would like to update you on the progress of the handbells. I know that you are all aware of our efforts to develop the handbells to at least a 2-octave chromatic range. We have raised some money towards this thanks to generous donations from the Cathedral Summer Concert Fund, Private Donations and general fundraising initiatives.

However we were conscious that we are now performing more and don't have as much time available for fundraising. As a result we recently applied for a second time to the Isle of Man Arts Council and were successful in being awarded £1,050, half the amount we had applied for.

We hope to make an application to the Manx Lottery Trust within the next week for the outstanding amount and, as they viewed our application

favourably, we are also applying for help to restore the last 'Peel' handbell (19F) and purchase new handbells to augment up to a possible 3 octaves. There is no guarantee that our application will be successful but at least we've tried.

We gave a performance at the Cathedral Service on Sunday 9th October. From November all our focus is on Christmas. At the last count we have a possible eleven performances of the handbells over the Christmas period. Some of these are at the Cathedral, some at Nursing / Residential /

Day Care Centres across the Island. We have also been invited back to play at 'Len Rawle's Wurlitzer Christmas Concert' at the Villa Marina Arcade.

I'll try and keep you up to date on a regular basis but feel free to contact me anytime.

Louise Horsfall (LouHorsfall@aol.com) Treasurer- St. German’s Tower and Hand Bells

In and around St. GERMAN’S Parish

Forthcoming Events

Acorn Christian Listening Course

Final call for Acorn Christian Listening Course to be held in the Corrin Hall Friday 4thNovember (7.00 pm to 10.00 pm)

and Saturday 5thNovember (9.30am to 4.30pm) Some places available . For more information please speak to Val Garrett.

Women’s Guild

The Women’s Guild will be holding a Hollantide Coffee Morning and Table Top Sale

Saturday 12 November from 10am to 12 noon in the Corrin Hall. Stalls: Jewellery, Cakes, Books, Bottle, Sweets etc and Raffle.

Please bring contributions for any of the stalls to the Corrin Hall between 9am and 10am on Saturday12 November.

There will also be a new venture - a Table Top Sale. This will include: handmade cards and boxes, manicure, soft toys,

decorative candles and accessories.

For further details please speak to Marion Wood

Car Boot Sale

Corrin Hall Sunday 20 November 1-3pm (please note earlier finish). In aid of Cathedral Servery.

If you are free to help set up on Saturday 19 November after 5pm, or help on the day, please let Val Garrett know.

St. German’s Parish Christmas Dinner

WHEN: Friday 2nd December WHERE: The Golf Links

COST: £ 18.00 per person HOW: Sign-up sheet at the back of the Church

DEADLINE: Before Tuesday 8th November PAYMENT: by Cheque payable to “Vicar and Wardens of German”

Girls’ night

Girls’ Night fundraiser at 7.30pm on Friday 9th December at the Netloft. An evening of relaxation and laughter. Proceeds to the Cathedral Servery.

For further details speak to Val Garrett. (... and how about a boys’ night out?)

Mother’s Union

On Monday 24th September we began our new programme with Corporate Communion in the Cathedral. Twelve members were present and Margaret Burrow led the Evening Eucharist service in a Celtic tradition. She also spoke about the problems in Zimbabwe. During the service, Glenys Cringle was enrolled as a member and we are delighted to welcome her into our group which now numbers seventeen. The service was followed with our usual refreshments.

Our second meeting was held at the Net Loft on 10th October and we were entertained to an illustrated talk by Ian Young describing some of the varied wild life which he has photographed off the west coast of the Island from his boat Pegasus, including basking sharks, jellyfish, puffins, guillemots and many other creatures. Ian brought everything to life and his talk was even accompanied in part by a song written by Greg Joughin. Although our meetings are held at the Net Loft at present, thanks to Nigel’s hospitality, once the new Deanery is completed we hope to have our own space there and may even find room to store some of our old diaries and

magazines to keep an archive of Peel Mothers’ Union over the past century. Everyone is welcome to come along to our meetings – gentlemen included! – and you don’t have to be a member. We will always make you welcome and copies of our present programme are by our noticeboard in the Cathedral. Please help yourself to a copy. We are still collecting items for Graih and the Women’s Refuge. You will find a box at the back of church where gifts can be left. Every item collected is very gratefully received by both charities and will be passed on to those less fortunate than ourselves. Many, many thanks for all your help.

Eleanor Callister

Thought-provoking quizzes, good food, fellowship and prayers of

thanksgiving were enjoyed by

people across the

ages at the Harvest supper in October.

Food gifts were received at the Harvest service on

Sunday morning, and a reflection on the challenges of daily life was followed with prayers for overriding the difficulties.

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