1

grapevine 50p

september 2013

4: “The New

Testament may not be

the obvious place to

turn for fashion

advice.”

14: Where did Tony

meet Gill?

2

Rector: Rev Stephen Prior

The Rectory, Rectory Road, Rushden, NN10 0HA

01933 312554

Curate: Rev Matthew Taylor

36 Meadow Sweet Drive, Rushden NN10 0GA

01933 311164

Readers: Mick Bantin, David Brandford,

Ruth Compton, John Dixon, Tony Smith

Hall Bookings: Pam & Paul Bailey

7 Kenilworth Close, Rushden, NN10 0QH

01933 313195

St Mary’s Churchwardens:

Lynne Prior, 330 Newton Rd, Rushden, NN10 0SY

Martin Cromwell, Pyghtles Cottage, 9 Pightles Terrace,

Rushden NN10 0LN

01933 353655

01933 358355

St Mary’s Church Office Tues-Thurs: 10.00-12noon:

Pam Bailey, Marion Bates, Sue Prior

Webmasters: Anthony Sutton and Matthew Taylor

01933 412235

email: stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com

St Mary’s Website: www.stmaryschurchrushden.org

Newton Bromswold Churchwardens

Bob Lines, 25 Church Lane, Newton Bromswold, NN10

0SR:

Rosemary Gepp, 166 Avenue Rd, Rushden, NN10 0SW

01933 315864

01933 355703

Newton Bromswold Website: www.newtonchurch.co.uk

grapevine subscriptions One year’s subscription (10 issues) £5

Postal subscription: £10

Large Print Editions are available in

church or may be pre-ordered.

Any changes to order or details

of delivery to: The Church Office

e-mail:

stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com

All monies to

Peter & Barbara Coxon

11 Oakpits Way

Rushden NN10 0PP

e-mail: petercoxon11@aol.com

Phone: 01933 356330

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contents

Who’s Who 2

The Curate Writes ... 4

Margaret’s Editorial 6

From the Registers 7

St Mary’s News 8

News from Newton 9

Mission Matters 11

Charity Focus—Children’s Soc 12

Meet the Congregation 14

From Bishop Donald 16

Diary 17

Around the Diocese 18

Our Page 21

Crossword 299 22

St Mary’s Gardeners’ News 23

Belfry Gossip 28

Looking Back 30

Wider News 31

Church Services for September 32

grapevine welcomes contributions. Items for the October Magazine

should be sent by Sunday

September 15 to Margaret Akroyd, 132 Wymington

Rd or left at the back of church clearly

marked ’Grapevine’ or sent by email to

stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com

with “Grapevine” in the Subject Line.

Please include your name and a

phone number with any submission in

case we need to contact you.

4

You could see them from far off

– the newbies at school in the

autumn term. ‘First Years’ we

called them: they are now known

as ‘Year Sevens’.

They were the ones with the

blazers two sizes too large. Their

Mums uttering those immortal

words, ‘I bought it a bit bigger so

you will grow into it’. Which was

fine for those, particularly girls,

who were early

developers, but

for those boys

who lagged

behind in the

hairy legs

stakes, they

remained

cocooned for years in a jacket

more helpful for the open sea

than running for the bus.

Thankfully, my time was short in

this hinterland. If you know

someone in this position, think

and pray that they get through

ok – It’s tough out there.

Uniforms are one thing, but

deciding what to wear is another.

Sometimes we don’t make the

best choices. Many years ago,

when I worked in a shop, I

remember serving a married

friend of mine who bought two

pairs of canary-yellow trousers.

That afternoon he returned them

accompanied with a red face.

You can imagine the kind of

conversations that went on at

home.

The New Testament may not be

an obvious place to turn to for

fashion advice – though at least

they were wise enough to wear

their sandals without socks.

But there are a

number of

passages about

putting on new

clothes; about

wearing a new

way of being.

One I have used at weddings is

from Colossians 3.12.

‘Therefore, (as God’s chosen

people, holy and dearly loved,)

clothe yourselves with

compassion, kindness, humility,

gentleness and patience.’

God has picked out a wardrobe

for your life. It’s the qualities we

see in the life of Jesus and we

are being encouraged to dress

(as it were) like him.

Wear Compassion – it’s more

than sympathy, it’s empathy.

“The New Testament

may not be the obvious

place to turn to for

fashion advice.”

5

It’s coming alongside, taking

difficulty and hurt and almost

wearing it like it’s your own.

Pull on Kindness – it means an

abundance of goodness.

Kindness is an unfashionable

word, often seen as weakness,

yet actually it’s something we

all crave. Be Kind.

Wear Humility – An attitude of

heart that means you are happy

to take second place.

This doesn’t sit well in our ‘me

first’ culture, but it is at the

heart of the Christian

message.

Put on Gentleness – This

relates to humility

This also carries consideration

for others and the ability to

sometimes waive your own

rights, but also a tenderness

in your care of others.

Wear Patience – This means

being even-tempered, not flying

off the handle.

Counting to ten, when in all

honesty, you wish only to

count to one.

This then follows with, as one

version of this passage puts it

‘If all else fails remember love’.

Love that binds and holds.

The theologian Paul Tilloch

once wrote, ‘… the first duty of

love is to listen’.

All sounds a bit perfect; beyond

our capabilities perhaps? We

might pick out some other

clothes instead, which might

suit our own self a bit more. We

can make mistakes and all of

us can have a ‘wardrobe

malfunction’ sometimes.

But that’s why we can only rely

on God’s help to become

dressed more like Jesus. The

truth is, with the Spirit’s help,

those clothes that at first felt so

ill-fitting, we will begin to grow

into them.

Rev Matt Taylor

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It’s September and on the twenty

second of the month it will be the

autumnal equinox when daylight

and darkness share the 24 hours

equally. Churches up and down the

land will be holding Harvest

Festivals and both St Mary’s and

Newton will honour the tradition

during September.

It must be about thirty years since a programme on TV entitled ‘The

Good Life’ amused us with the ups

and downs faced by Tom and

Barbara Good as they tried to

adapt to being self-sufficient. Their

garden became a smallholding with

animals and poultry, much to the

astonishment of their neighbours,

Jerry and Margot Leadbetter. While

Barbara had to battle with mud,

her fashionable neighbour felt the

Goods’ activities downgraded the

value of their properties. Times

have changed, and the desire to

have an allotment is now so great

that local councils have long

waiting lists for plots of land that

have become vacant on the death

of a gardener, and children want to

inherit the allotments from parents!

It isn’t just the need to produce

cheaper fruit and vegetables that is

encouraging this interest in eating

more organic food, but the belief

that working in a garden helps not

only to tone the muscles, but also

fight depression. Monty Don, the

presenter of the BBC ‘Gardeners’

World’ found his serious

depression so overpowering that

he gave up work as a jeweller to

immerse himself in the creation of

a garden. Even then the dark

winter days were a struggle, but he

could bear them more easily by

concentrating on outdoor activities

that looked forward to the next

Spring. For 15 years I have picked

blackberries in my garden from just

one plant that needs no attention

apart from cutting out the wood

which has fruited and tying up the

new shoots - half an hour’s labour

for 8 lbs of fruit which in the local

supermarket today would cost £32!

The blackberries go into the

freezer or to friends, and I can

often exchange surplus produce

with others to our mutual benefit. It

makes me sad that people in high-

rise flats have little chance to enjoy

gardening as it is definitely

therapeutic and would allow

children to work off energy helping

with simple planting.

Back to Church Sunday on

September 29 gives us the chance

to invite someone to either return

to church after a lapse, or to come

and see for the first time what it is

“God is the

explanation of why

there is a universe at

all.”

7

like.

There was a pleasing statistic on

the Parish Pump website this

month that showed that, while

many weddings are taking place in

venues other than church, there is

no shortage of christenings and

these [unlike weddings] are free!

The figure given of 10,000

christenings a month sounds large.

7,000 are babies up to one year

old, and 3,000 of children aged

one to twelve. With those figures we must encourage them and their

families to stay connected with the

church in order to replace the

elderly who inevitably depart.

Our new Archbishop of Canterbury,

Justin Welby, says people,

especially the young, have lost a

sense of vision for a better society.

Contrary to what Richard Dawkins

may believe Prof John Lennox of

Oxford University told 600 people

at a recent meeting sponsored by

the Bible Society that science is

not in opposition to God, but God is

the explanation of why there is a

universe at all. That should be a

comfort to us as we dig our

gardens and enjoy the rewards of

our labours.

Margaret

Akroyd

From the Registers

Baptisms Sunday July 14

Maiya Wedderburn

Joseph Whiteley

Holy Matrimony Saturday July 6

Rachel Victoria Smith &

Jonathan Leigh Cooper

Saturday July 20

Alexandra Marlow & Ben Mitchell

Funerals Monday June 24

Michael James Field [66]

Tuesday June 25

Eddie Brooksby [54]

Monday July 1

John Cranfield [91]

Monday July 22

John Alexander Bedford [76]

Wednesday August 14

Lilian Winifred Fentiman [86]

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Mothers’ Union

On Wednesday September 25 the

Mothers’ Union will meet at 2.00pm

in the Church Hall. Speaker Mrs

Marion Holloman. We will have our

usual bring and buy table. All are very

welcome to our meeting. Peter Ian Brandford

On behalf of our family we wish to

thank you for your prayers and

support throughout our son Peter’s

illness. They have been very much

appreciated. May God bless you all.

David and Sylvia

News from

Friends of St Mary’s Every 5 years the church building is

inspected for wear and tear – from

the weather, usage and age.* On

Monday August 5 John Barker, the

designated Church Architect, and I,

spent the morning on the church

roof, looking for, and finding, damage

that needs repairing. These and

other repairs are expensive and

Friends of St Mary’s hold regular

events to raise money towards such

repairs. During this summer they

included a Concert given by

members of Northamptonshire Youth

and also Cream Teas in June, July &

August that were augmented by

Organ Recitals by Rosemary Nayyar.

All were well-attended.

Autumn events include the ever-

popular Pudding Club on Saturdays

October 12 and November 9 and a

Curry Night on December 6. A

Concert is also scheduled for

Saturday November 30. The Friends’

committee thank you for your

continuing support.

Peter White

*technically this is called the

“Quinquennial Inspection “. More info on

the Church of England website.

Thank you!

Bob and I would like to thank

everyone for the beautiful flowers

and card we received on the

occasion of our Golden Wedding

Anniversary. It was a lovely surprise.

Thank you very much!

Maureen Trusler

September Flower Rota

Behind the Communion Table

1 Mrs J Tombling

8 Mrs Jane Morgan

15 Mrs Joan Walker in memory

of Rod, arranged by Mrs

Ellen Inwood

22 Mrs J Tingey

29 Harvest Festival – If anyone

would like to help decorate

the Church for Harvest that

would be lovely. Please

come along on the Saturday

morning

Jean Tombling: 418072

Memorial Chapel Flowers

29 Mrs Julie West

Please let me know if you would

like flowers in memory of a loved

one. Brenda Dixon: 358982

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Thank you!

Many thanks for all the cards, flowers

and good wishes that we received for

our Golden Wedding.

We had a wonderful time!

Brenda & John Dixon

Make and Munch

The next Make and Munch will take

place on Wednesday October 30

starting at 7.00pm with the crafts

having a Christmas theme. Ladies,

please pencil it in now! More details

in the October Grapevine.

Ladies’ Group

Welcome to the Ladies’ Group. It

seems a while since we enjoyed our

lunch together at Knuston Hall in

July. A buffet was tucked into by more

than 30 of us. It proved to be a lovely

day, both weather-wise and socially.

We look forward to our meeting on

Wednesday September 11 at

2.15pm. It will take the form of a

Service in church, followed by a

Cream Tea in the hall. Our guest

speaker will be Mrs Sandra Taylor.

We extend a warm invitation to any

ladies who are part of church family to just come along and be part of our

friendship and fellowship together. As

a taster to come, our October

meeting is entitled “Prevention is

better than cure”, when we are

fortunate to have Dr V Barber as our

speaker. All our gatherings are on the

second Wednesday of the month. For

further details contact Mrs Ann Beal:

01933 355141

Altar Flower List

September 1 Mrs Sharman

8 Mrs Taylor

15 Nichola Clarke

22 Mrs Jones

29 Mrs Sheldon

Churchyard Conservation Awards

St. Peter’s Churchyard, Newton Bromswold has been awarded a Gold

Award in the Northamptonshire

Churchyard Conservation Award

Scheme run by The Northants Wildlife

Trust. Bob Lines was presented with

the award at “The Best

Northamptonshire Village of the Year

2013” ceremony held on 16 July at

the Hunsbury Hill Centre in

Northampton.

Village Fete

When Fete day arrived, we were very

lucky with the weather and very

fortunate with the numerous visitors

who came to enjoy our Fete. The

Mission Band played music on the

lawn and Simon, our organist played

music in Church.

The children enjoyed face painting,

sand art, panning for gold and a

bouncy castle. The Children's Fancy

Dress was judge by East Northants

Chairman Councillor Pam Whiting,

with James Clarke being given first

prize for his space rocket.

Many thanks go to Jenny Burt for all

her hard work in organising this

(Continued on page 10)

10

year’s Fete and to everyone who

helped in making it such a great

success, raising over £2,260 for

Church Funds, which was a brilliant

result.

Church Bike Ride and the

Northants Historic Churches

Trust

On 14 September 2013, Newton will

be participating in the Church Bike

Ride. Rosemary has kindly agreed to

participate if you would like to

sponsor her. Monies raised are split 50:50 between Newton Church and

the Northants Historic Churches

Trust.

Newton Church will be open to

visitors participating in this event, so

if you would like to act as a recorder,

please put your name on the list at

the back of church. If you would like

to participate in the bike ride or walk,

I still have some sponsor forms.

Helen Lines

Pam It is with the deepest sadness that

we are remembering a very valued

and much loved member of our

congregation, Pam.

Only a mere 12 months ago Pam’s

friends were busy organising a

special birthday party for her. Now,

less than twelve months later, we

have said goodbye. Pam will be

greatly missed by all at Newton.

The last time Pam was well enough

to attend Church was on Easter

Sunday, March 31. Then on Monday

April 15 Pam was admitted to

hospital. She was well visited during

her time at Kettering and Oxford

Hospitals and then Cransley Hospice

and this was very much appreciated

by Pam. Unfortunately she

deteriorated rapidly in hospital from her illness and passed away on July

3. We know that her deep faith was

a real comfort to her until the end.

We remember Pam in our prayers:

Eternal God,

We thank you that Pam no longer has

to suffer pain or fear from her illness.

As Pam passes from our earthly sight,

we thank you for the years of her

presence among us,

remembering especially

how much she loved the Fete,

the Children participating in Church

and how generous she was,

and the animals and dogs she loved,

especially her dog Ozzy.

And while we feel the pain of the

parting,

remembering her family, friends and

neighbours who mourn,

we rejoice in the faith that she has

gone to be with you,

for in your presence

is the fullness of joy,

at your right hand are pleasures for

evermore.

Amen.

11

It was lovely to welcome our Mission

Partners, Colin and Anita Smith, on

Sunday July 7. Colin gave an excellent

sermon: ten minutes telling us about

their work and future plans, followed

by ten minutes based on the Old

Testament reading of Jonah.

Colin and Anita, and their daughters

Sheila and Sandie, have spent the

last 14 years in Nairobi, Kenya. At

present they are visiting supporting

churches before having a sabbatical

in South Africa. During this time they

will be attached to St. Peter’s

Mowbray in Cape Town. They will be

involved with the Warehouse project

there as well as undertaking some

writing. Due to return to the UK in

February 2014 they expect to

continue to work for CMS, but not

abroad.

Anita worked at All Saints’ Cathedral

in Nairobi, and with the international

and expat community there. The

cathedral holds 13 services each

Sunday and she was often involved

with the earliest and last services of

the day: the last service being the

equivalent of our BCP service.

Colin has been involved with St.

Jerome’s Church at Kibera in Nairobi.

Kibera is one of the worst slums in

Africa—55% of Nairobi is comprised of

slums. Colin has been involved with

training at Carlile College, the Church

Army Training College and the

Centre for Urban Mission. Four church

plants have been made since Colin

started working there and he has also

worked in conjunction with Tear Fund

and Samaritan’s Purse.

33 of us enjoyed an excellent bring-

and-share lunch in the Church Hall

afterwards. This seemed to finish far

too quickly but then there was a

rather important tennis match at

Wimbledon at 2pm!

We are delighted to welcome Edna

Wadsworth to our latest committee

meeting. Edna was involved in

Mission work for over 30 years at a

local prison until its recent closure.

The next Mid-Northants meeting will

be at Irthlingborough in early October.

We have a Coffee Morning and Quiz

Evening on Saturday November 23.

If anyone is interested and would like

to learn more about Mission, please

speak to a member of the Mission

Committee.

Peter Chamberlain

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These days it’s hard to avoid the

relentless demand for charitable

donations. St Mary’s apart –

where the aim is to approach the

whole subject of prayerful giving

sensibly and sensitively – it seems

that every other advert on daytime

TV wrings our hearts over the

plight of everyone and everything

from children caught up in the

Syrian refugee crisis to brutalised

donkeys, endangered tigers and

sweetly sleeping Blind Dog

puppies. On our doorsteps and in

the street we are accosted

[however politely] by charming

young people who want to

persuade us that we won’t miss

the derisory £2 a month they

would like to sign us up for in

perpetuity. Here we are doubly

troubled by both the cause they

represent and the fact that they

might otherwise not have a job.

We risk being so emotionally

overloaded that we blank it all out

and turn to cynicism.

Then there are the news stories of

fraud, corruption, misuse of funds

and, more recently, the

extraordinarily high salaries paid

to some charities’ CEOs*. Neither

does the recent disclosure of the

theft and destruction of nearly £½

million of UK government aid in

southern Somalia by Al-Qa’ida

affiliates give us confidence**.

So, do we just give up in

exasperation; say that charity

begins [and ends!] at home or

decide in a prayerful and

informed way who and what we

might and should support? I think

the last.

In an occasional series Grapevine

is looking behind the scenes at

some of the charities with whom

St Mary’s has longstanding

relationships, and a good place to

start is the Children’s Society

which has enjoyed strong ties to

the church for many years. Here’s

the low down … JC

* “i” Newspaper, 7 August 2013

** “i” Newspaper, 12 August 2013

1881-2013

The Children's Society was

established in 1881 when Sunday

School teacher Edward Rudolf

found two of his pupils begging on

London's streets. In those days

13

the children would have gone into

a large institutionalised children’s

home, but Rudolf didn't want that

for them, so he set up a smaller

home, offering vulnerable

children the care they needed

and so The Children's Society

began.

In recent times their work has

kept pace with the changing

needs of children. Today they

focus on working within

communities with projects and

centres all over the country.

Although they help children of all

faiths and none their work is

based on the Christian values of

love, justice and forgiveness and

they are supported by The Church

of England.

Their work involves helping

children at risk on the streets,

young carers, disabled children,

young refugees and those within

the youth justice system, The

Society works in partnership with

local authorities, voluntary

organisations and other agencies

to share experience and

maximise their impact. Each year

their programmes and services

help thousands of children and

their families up and down the

country.

Here at St Mary's we have a

fundraising committee and

church members and supporters

helped to raise £5,584.66 last

year, thus helping The Children's

Society in their work. Many

people have a Children’s Society

Box, putting in loose change over

the year, a really good way of

helping the charity.

A Coffee Morning and Box

Opening is held every October—

this year it's on October 12. If you

would like to help this worthwhile

cause boxes are available from

committee members or Anne

Riley on 01933 316380.

Mary Hadley

There is more information on

policy and values and how to give

regularly on the website @

www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

14

Tony was born to Wally & Rita

Coles in rooms over his uncle’s

bakery in Great Park Street,

Wellingborough, in February

1952. Brother Terry was born

four years earlier. Both children

were baptised in the

Congregational Church in

Wellingborough.

Tony’s father worked in Loakes

Shoe Factory and continued in

the trade all his working life.

Mother helped in the Rising Sun

public house and later in the

Co-op shops.

Tony’s earliest memories are of

watching his uncle baking bread

and people bringing their

Yorkshire puddings to be cooked

on a Sunday. He also has a vivid

memory of his uncle giving him a

handful of cockroaches and

saying, “Here take these to your

mum”.

At the age of four the family

moved to a house in Alexandra

Rd and soon after Tony started

his school life at Avenue Infants

and then moved to Victoria Junior

School, where he had good

teachers but sometimes

struggled to keep up and alas

failed his 11+. From there he

moved to Westfield School. He

loved it, though

there was strict

discipline and

corporal

punishment

was in daily

use. The

teachers were

marvellous, especially Gus

Brittain, who taught Maths. Tony

played football for the school

team and loved it. He enjoyed all

his lessons but Maths was his

favourite. During this time both

boys went to Sunday school each

week at Alma Street Wesleyan

Church.

Tony left school at 15 and over

the next five years was an

apprentice sheet metal worker

and engineer. In 1972 he moved

to work at Chamberlain Phipps

and began 12 of the happiest

years of his working life. He was

employed as the “Tin Smith” and

here he worked with John Tye,

Mick Wadsworth, and Richard

Denny.

Tony met Gill in 1969 at the

Nag’s Head (where there was a

dance each week) and started

taking her home on the back of

his Lambretta. They saw each

other most nights of the week

and eventually started talking

15

about a life together and became

engaged. In May 1974 they were

married at Rushden Methodist

Church, where Gill was a member.

They honeymooned in London,

where Tony vividly remembers

seeing the England Football team

standing outside a pub.

They were able to move into their

new home on their return, buying

land from their Auntie and

‘building’ it themselves (not

literally) at 1 Lawton Road. Tony

continued working and going to

college three nights a week to

gain more qualifications, whilst

Gill was training to be a

Chiropodist. In 1984, Tony was

asked to do some part-time

teaching at Nene College and a

year later full time at

Wellingborough Technical College,

followed by Nene College in 1988

and Northampton in 1993.

They started coming to St Mary’s

when their girls were born.

Victoria arrived in 1976 and Laura

in 1980. They were both baptised

by Rev Michael Wilson. Victoria is

now a Radiographer at the Royal

Marsden and Laura is a Detective

Constable with the Thames Valley

Police. Tony and Gill now have 3

grandchildren.

During his life sport has played a

big part. He enjoyed football—a

keen player but not very good. He

also did running, squash, tennis

and golf. Both he and Gill have

run the London Marathon, raising

a lot of cash for Cancer Research.

After 29 years of teaching Tony

took the opportunity to retire this

July and has now joined St Mary’s

Gardening team and both he and

Gill belong to the Heavenly

Dusters! They feel at home at St

Mary’s and are regular attendees

at the 6pm service.

Roving Reporter

THOSE QUESTIONS!

What’s been the biggest

influence on your life? Gill—because of her great

work ethic

What are your hobbies? Most sports, gardening, DIY &

reading

Who would you like to invite

to dinner? Tim Rice & Paul McCartney

What would you serve? Roast lamb, cheesecake, white

wine

Your favourite place? Machu Picchu

Special Treat Any train journey

Proudest Moments? Completing the London

Marathon

Code by which I live Do unto others as you would

have done to you

16

One of the great problems of a recession or a period of national austerity is that the gap between rich and poor grows wider. In a sense this is inevitable: those who depend on support from the state will always suffer most when government spending is reduced. You can’t cut housing benefit across the board if only poorer people receive it. A benefit cap isn’t going to affect those who only receive a free television licence or winter fuel allowance.

I am not criticising the general policy of reducing government spending. Governments, like the rest of us, should not live beyond their means. Some degree of borrowing for investment, in the same way as families take out a mortgage to buy a house, may well be appropriate. But borrowing to support everyday spending cannot be a good idea. The government should not be spending what it hasn’t got, even on good causes.

The proliferation of food banks, payday lenders, credit unions, loan sharks, and so on (some of which I see as unfortunately necessary, some as iniquitous – I trust you can work out which is which) demonstrates that poverty and debt are becoming increasing problems in our still-affluent country. Christians and Churches should do all we can to resist those trends.The answer is

Thinking about rich and poor

not simply to give poor people lots of money. Hard work, taking responsibility, and living within a budget are genuine virtues as well as conducive to a healthy society; and

we need to tackle poverty of spirit as well, which is seen in rich and poor alike. But demonising the poor, or referring to those who need support as “scroungers” is not the answer either. There is very real hardship in our society.

General Synod’s call to churches last year to ensure that people we employ receive at least the Living Wage rather than the derisory Minimum Wage is a good start. All employers, including local councils and others who employ the least skilled people, have a moral duty to pay at a rate which people can actually live on.

Christians setting an example, and helping others, in living simpler lifestyles, living within our means, and resisting the blandishments of consumerism, would also be a real help. Churches need to be at the forefront in the fight against greed, and offering real support to the less advantaged to live healthily for less.

Diocese of Peterborough - Magazine Resource - September 2013

Produced by the Diocesan Office, The Palace, Peterborough PE1 1YB

01733 887000 www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk

Rt Revd Donald Allister, Bishop of Peterborough, writes

17

September

6 Friday: please bring your jumble to the church hall during the day

ahead of tomorrow’s Mammoth Sale

7 Saturday: 10.00-12noon—Mammoth Jumble Sale in the Church Hall: Proceeds to the Organ Fund

11 Wednesday, 2.15pm —St Mary’s Ladies’ Group Service in Church

followed by cream tea, Sandra Taylor.

14 Saturday: 10.00-4.00pm—National Heritage Open Day and

10.00-6.00pm—Sponsored Ride & Stride Northamptonshire Historic

Churches Trust. St Mary’s and Newton involved.

25 Wednesday, 2pm —St Mary’s Mothers’ Union in the Church Hall,

Marion Holloman.

October

3 Thursday: 7.00pm—CMS Meeting planned at St Peter’s Irthlingborough—

check Notices for updates and more details

4-6 Friday night-Sunday: Church Weekend Away

9 Wednesday, 2.15pm St Mary’s Ladies’ Group in the Church Hall,

Dr V Barber: Prevention is better than cure.

12 Saturday: 10.00-12noon—Children’s Society Coffee Morning & Box

Opening

12 Saturday: Friends of St Mary’s Pudding Club

19 Saturday: 10.00-3.30pm—Acts in a Day—Paul Needle takes an

action-packed walk through the 28 chapters of Acts. Includes lunch

23 Wednesday: 2pm—Mothers’ Union, Richard and David, The Chichele

Entertainment, in the Church Hall

30 Wednesday: 7.00pm—Make & Munch on a Christmas theme: watch

this space.

November

9 Saturday: Friends of St Mary’s Pudding Club

13 Wednesday, 2.15pm St Mary’s Ladies’ Group in the Church Hall,

Rev Paul Needle, The Diocese of Europe.

23 Saturday: Mission Coffee Morning and Quiz Evening in St Mary's

Church Hall.

30 Saturday: Christmas Craft Day for Children

Saturday: Friends of St Mary’s Concert

18

The rumble of motorcycle engines echoed through the tiny village of Teigh in Rutland on 31st July when the church community, villagers and friends turned out in force to welcome the Thankful Villages Run.

The Run, a nine day sponsored ride in aid of Royal British Legion funds, was led by motorcycling friends Dougie Bancroft and Medwyn Parry. Their nine day journey took them to all 51 “thankful villages” - those where all who served in the forces in the 1914-1918 Great War had returned home. The two men were joined by 13 other motorcyclists on the rainy evening when they reached Teigh.

Team Rector, Janet Tebby, says: “Teigh is proud to be a Thankful Village and was thrilled to welcome the motorcyclists, who wanted to honour those who had fought and survived, as well as those who died in the First World War.”

Everyone gathered at Holy Trinity Church in Teigh where the motorcyclists were greeted with a standing ovation as Royal British Legion members escorted them into church.

Dougie Bancroft presented a slate plaque to the village, which will be unveiled in 2014 as part of the

Motorcyclists visit Teigh on “thankful villages” run

national commemoration of the centenary of the First World War.

Geoff Tidd, the son of one of the villagers who had fought and returned to Teigh, received the plaque on behalf of the village during a short service in the church.

Churchwardens Audrey Morley and Tor Owen, with a band of helpers, had organised tea and cakes which were much appreciated by the sixty or so people present.

“Donations on the day amounted to the great total of £800 – a fantastic amount for such a tiny community, and an indication of the level of support for this event,” said Janet. “People who had never been into the church before commented on the beautiful building and atmosphere – in spite of the scaffolding around the recently lightning-struck tower!

“The church is fortunate to be an integral part of our village at Teigh. It is a place where the community can come together to celebrate and remember, as well as to worship. It was great to see a church full of happy, proud people!”

Around the diocese

Above: Dougie Bancroft and Medwyn Parry. Below: presentation to Geoff Tidd

19

Around the diocese

Cursillo® is a powerful renewal movement which supports the mission of the local church. It happens in a diocese at the invitation of the bishop, and is very much part of the diocesan strategy to enable mission and personal growth in faith.

“Cursillo” is a Spanish word meaning “short course” and the Cursillo experience usually starts with a three day residential, led by a team of clergy and lay people.

The combination of short talks, sharing, worship and community life has led many to a deep renewal in their faith and a growth in confidence.

Many vocations to lay and ordained ministry have sprung from the Cursillo movement and it has also supported and encouraged folk in living out their Christian life day to day. This is done through meeting regularly with a small group, for an hour or so every two or three weeks, to share how our lives of prayer, study and action are progressing.

Bishop John Holbrook has been on a Cursillo weekend and says: “As a way to deepen understanding, strengthen faith and renew our passion for God it was inspiring. Having seen God use it to change lives, I’m pleased to commend Cursillo to the diocese.” This is how some from our diocese describe

Cursillo’s influence:

“My life was changed by Cursillo. It enabled me to let God into my life in a way I had never done before and it continues to nurture and sustain me as I journey with Christ.’ The Revd Paula York

“I came away with a far more balanced understand-ing of the Trinity. Through this and the love of God given on the weekend my confidence grew rapidly and I have been more active in church.” June Vajda.

“The Cursillo method has given me a rule of life focusing on prayer, study

and action and to be out in the world doing good works as Christ’s hands and feet.” Cheryl Goddard

“Cursillo emphasised to me (1) the importance of a spiritual discipline; (2)that Christians are more effective collectively than alone and (3) that there is a lot of Christian love going for us all, if we will only allow our-selves to recognise it and absorb it.” The Revd Ray Hemingray

“The river on the Peterborough Cursillo banner reminds me of the river of God’s grace flowing down through the centuries and on into the future.” Edwina Miller, Lay Director.

Do you think you might be interested? www.peterborough-cursillo.btck.co.uk or email us at pbcursillo@gmail.com

Introducing the Cursillo renewal movement

Judy Craig Peck, Spiritual Director of Cursillo in the Peterborough Diocese, explains more about the renewal movement with the unusual name:

20

Around the diocese

Wilby’s new meeting place is off to a flying start

Having installed new kitchen and WC facilities, church members at Wilby St Mary’s were keen to invite people from the village, which is without a village hall or meeting room, to come and use them.

“The village is long and thin with little sense of belonging,” said church member Anna Willey, “so a group of us decided to organise a whole vil-lage event as a social occasion for young and old alike.”

They deliberately asked non-church people to distribute leaflets and help on the day, when the main focus was a teddy bear parachute jump from the

church spire. This was promoted through the four local schools and two pre-schools.

Over 50 teddies came along to take the plunge and their fami-lies enjoyed the stalls, games and teas. More events are planned at the church, including a tea party on 14th Sep-tember. For details see http://wilbynorthants. wordpress.com

September events Sundays, Cream teas at Sibbertoft, 2.30-5pm at The Reading Room, Sib-bertoft LE16 9UF, for St Helen’s Church. Gluten-free available.

Sat 7, Music in Lyddington: Alexandra Dariescu, piano. 7.30pm St Andrew’s, Lyddington, LE15 9LR. £14 in advance (students £2) from 01572 820017.

Sat 14, The Sixteen Choral Workshop for amateur singers. 12 noon - 4pm at The Becket Chapel, Peterborough Ca-thedral. Tickets £30, inc. sheet music and refreshments. Tel: 020 7936 3420.

Sat 14, Licensing of Lay Ministers 11am at Peterborough Cathedral.

Sat 14, Guitar & Flute Concert at Lod-dington performed by Sam Piha and Louise Garner. 8pm at St Leonard's, Loddington, NN14 1LF. £8 on the door.

Sat 21, Bellringers’ Guild Summer Festival. A competition at St Lawrence Church, Towcester. 01327 871806.

Sat 21, Making the Most of Christmas

Get fresh and re-freshed ideas for your church. 10am - 12 noon at All Saints Primary School, Boughton Green Road,

NN2 7AJ. Book on 01604 887048. Free.

Sat 21, Prayer Book Society Sung Matins 11am at St Mary’s Church, Higham Ferrers. Tel: 01664 474353.

Sat 21, St Matthew's Day Concert Music includes Britten, Finzi and Halls. 7.30pm at St Matthew’s, Northampton Tickets £12 (concs). 01604 791251.

Sat 21, Used Book Sale for Christian Aid. 10am-2pm at Wesley Centre, Col-lege Street, Irthlingborough.

Sat 21, Organ Recital by Andrew Reid to mark the organ restoration at Holy Trinity, Rothwell, NN14 6BQ. 7.30pm. Tickets £5 on door.

Sat 21, Barbershop song evening with “Hallmark of Harmony” and “5Ways from Byfield”. £8 / £5 Under 12 free. 7pm at King's Sutton OX17 3RJ.

Fri 27, Jazz piano concert with Rich-ard Michael, Scotland’s finest jazz pia-nist. 7.30pm at St Mark’s, Peterboro’ PE1 2SN. Tickets £10. 01733 352679

Sat 28, Last Night of the Proms 7.30pm Northampton Holy Sepulchre Tickets £10 (u/16 £5). 01604 754782.

21

22

23

Well, after complaining about

the wet weather of last year it

has come as a bit of a surprise

when over the last two or three

weeks it has been rather hot and

I for one have suffered (but as

Mick tells me I am a bit

delicate).

The beds have now

all been weeded and

look much better but

some of the roses are

looking very sorry for

themselves especially along the

walls. Whether it is because of

the weather or the fact that they

are getting on a bit I don’t know.

I reckon that some must be over

30 years old at least, so they

haven’t done too badly.

We did wonder if we should

replace some of them as we

have dug a number of dead

ones out and some will not

recover. We do have some

money which could be used to

buy new ones but we wondered

if anyone would like to

contribute in memory of loved

ones or just because they look

lovely? If this is the case I would

be only too happy to receive any

contributions towards replacing

them. We have purchased a

product, recommended by The

RHS, called mycorrhizal fungi, so

hopefully with this new magic

formula we will be able to plant

roses where they have grown

before—or so it says on the

package.

Since my last article we have

been joined by Yvonne who has

put us all to shame with her hard

work: she even brought along

her own tools. We now have the

luxury of 3 compost heaps so

when they have reached

maturity we will be able to

spread all that goodness back

onto the beds or, as Mick never

fails to tell me, all we do is

replace the weeds. Mind you the

soil is lovely to dig and very

fertile. The grass has been cut

very well this year by the Council

and they have set Dahlias by the

West Gate so all in all we feel

that the Churchyard is looking at

its best.

Bob Bates

24

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Probably Rushden’s oldest established driving school: 1957-2013

A & R Kelland Painting & Decorating Services

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Tel: 01933 676914 Mob: 07892 643749 or 07817 445037

Barnes Tree Services All types of tree work undertaken

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25

A . ABBOTT & SONS PERSONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS

BEDFORD ROAD, RUSHDEN ‘Owned and operated by the Abbott family

for four generations’

Tel: Rushden 312142 24 HOUR SERVICE TO ALL AREAS

Private Chapel of rest,

Service Chapel, Catering suite,

Memorial display, Floral tributes Pre-paid plans available Est. 1885

www.abbottfunerals.co.uk

KHM Electricals Domestic & Commercial Electrician

Inspection & Testing. PAT testing. Rewiring. Landlord Certificates. Free Quotes, 24hr call

out. No job too small.

Keith Morgan

21 Chapel Close, Rushden. tel: 07955 592527 email:info@khmelectricals.co.uk

To advertise in Grapevine contact

St Mary’s Church Office on

01933 412235 or

stmaryschurchoffice@btinternet.com

Prices start at only £25 per year

For all your internal property maintenance requirements

New Bathrooms/Kitchens Plumbing/Blocked drains

Tiling, Decking Carpentry & Joinery Small plastering jobs

and more!

Call James on 01933 384767 or

07735564419 Quality & value guaranteed

Customer testimonials available

44, Griffith St, Rushden (above Commerce Windows)

01933 412345 Exclusive new beauty salon

Decléor Face & Body · Nail extensions ·

Manicure/Pedicure · Waxing

Eyelash & Eyebrow Treatments

· Sauna

Relax, take time out

—you deserve it!

26

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27

PETER TOMAS Comprehensive Glazing Service

Boarding Up & Property Secured * *24 Hour Service

Property Maintenance

Tel: 359688

PETER DRAPER Photographic

CAMERAS—FILM PROCESSING—BINOCULARS

TELESCOPES

65, High St, RUSHDEN

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Hollis Brothers High class butchers

44 Duck St. Rushden

357763 Friendly, personal service

J B NOBLE OPTICIANS Est. 1963

Affordable Family Eye Care

Celebrating 50 years in our community

37 Church Street

Rushden

312551 www.nobleopticians.co.uk

Stitches Alterations Mon-Fri: 10.00-16.30 Closed Thurs & Sun

Sat: 10.0– 14.00 for all your tailoring needs

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Wide Selection of

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Gift Wrap & Stationery

Foil & Latex Balloons

Personalised Wedding

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tel: 01933 317566

email: nicholls.1@btconnect. com

The Patisserie

Sandwiches, filled French sticks and rolls—

your choice of filling. Treat yourself to a 99p “breakfast special” – “Because you’re worth it”!

Plenty of other specials always available.

31 Church St, Rushden - 01933 318484

28

The middle of the year is normally a

busy time for us and it was no

different this year. As mentioned

last time we were looking forward

to our entry into the Branch Striking

Competition and our Tower Outing.

The competition was held at St

Mary's Orlingbury on a Tuesday

evening when there was a

wonderful turnout of eight teams

from surrounding towers competing

for the shield, including a team

entirely of young ringers. While the

judges—ringers from Husband's

Bosworth—were busy listening and

scoring each team as the test

pieces were performed,

those not ringing at the

time were enjoying the

evening sunshine. After

all the teams had rung,

everyone assembled

ready for the judge's

helpful comments

followed by the scores,

given in reverse order.

We were judged to be

the best strikers and

awarded the shield to display in our

belfry until next year's competition.

For our Tower Outing this year Pam

arranged four towers between

Rugby and Coventry for us to ring at

with a nice country park handy for

tea. It is really a lovely privilege to

be able to visit different churches to

ring their bells and look round. With

the help of a few friends we had a

wonderful afternoon out.

We also had a visit from the local

Rotary one evening with about a

dozen people coming to hear all

about our bells and climb the stairs

to watch as ringing was

demonstrated on one of them.

Brenda described and

demonstrated in the belfry while

Tom was above the bells explaining

the actions and additional history to

the watchers. All showed lots of

interest and several asked

additional searching

questions. Steve, a

lapsed ringer, and his

son have been joining us

on practice nights since.

Our annual tower BBQ

has also been held, with

lots of sunshine, when a

dozen or so of us again

enjoyed the occasion.

Thanks to Brenda and

John for the use of their garden etc.

Unfortunately during the holiday

season we have only rung a couple

of quarter peals but we did get a

band together to celebrate Brenda

and John's Golden Wedding

Anniversary with 'Cambridge

29

Surprise Minor'. In addition you may

have heard the bells ringing for

three hours on a Tuesday morning

when a peal was also rung in

celebration of their Golden Wedding

Anniversary.

Many of us also went on the

Wellingborough Branch Outing

which this year was to four towers

in the area South East of

Cambridge, also arranged by Pam.

Another opportunity to visit lovely

churches and ring their bells. Tea

was enjoyed in the churchyard while

being bathed in sun.

You may also have noticed that our

bells

have not been ringing so much

lately, this has been due to many of

the ringers having been away on

holidays, in fact we had to miss two

practice nights because six of us

were away in Suffolk for a week -

ringing bells in twenty six churches

there.

Being a bell ringer really is a

privilege because of the many

opportunities you get to be able to

visit many churches in different

parts of the country. If I didn't go to

ring I probably wouldn't have seen

most of the churches or villages and

towns that I have been to.

Tintinnabulum

30

110 Years Ago ...

The Guild Society Gathering was

held at Castle Ashby on Saturday

July 13th. About ninety members

availed themselves of the

opportunity, the majority making use

of the brakes whilst

others cycled. After tea at ‘The

Falcon’ games were played in the

park, the beautiful surroundings

being much appreciated. The excursion was voted a great

success. The next gathering of the

Guild will be held in the grounds of

Rushden Hall by kind invitation of

Mrs Sartoris in late August.

The young men’s Bible Class paid a

visit to Thorpe Achurch and Lilford

on July 20th. An excellent

programme had been arranged so a

very enjoyable afternoon followed.

The aviaries of course were visited

and the grounds of Lilford Hall. After

tea the party adjourned to the

Rectory gardens where games were

played until the time came for the

return journey. The choirboys had

their annual trip on August 8th and

were taken by brakes* to the LNW

Station and Skegness was reached

by 8.50am, where eleven hours

were spent at the seaside. The

weather was favourable and an

enjoyable day was spent for which

the boys expressed their thanks.

*a brake is kind of long wagonette

50 Years Ago ...

For the PCC the main item of

interest is that the church boiler is to

be converted to oil burning. This will

mean no more stoking for Mr

Clayton, cleaner to operate and we

hope a warmer church during the

bitterest winter. There is no

guarantee on the last point because

our church is a very difficult building

to keep warm. This, together with

improvements to the boiler house,

and dealing with the storm water

from the church roof nearby will cost

£500. The rectory needs quite a bit

of redecorating and the Council

agreed to spend £480 on this so

that our new Rector (Rev D Elliott)

and his family can move into a

bright, clean home. It seems a lot of

money, but practically nothing has

been done there for ten years so it

becomes a more reasonable sum.

Additional problems facing the Council include the fact that the

boiler in the Institute has broken

down after many years service, and

the electric wiring there is in a

dangerous state and must be seen

to.

DBC (sec)

We take this opportunity to

remind you that the Institution of

our new Rector will take place on

Thursday October 3rd at 7.30pm

31

Rushden & Newton Bromswold

W I are hosting a ladies self-

defence session, Saturday 12

October, 10.00am - 12noon, at

Parsons Hall, High Street, Irchester.

Open to ladies 16 years and over

(no upper age limit). Simple techniques to give you confidence.

Cost £4 each. for details contact

Margaret Fuller - 563234. A fun

morning.

Also, on Thursday September 12 at

7.30pm, Polly Feeley will be talking

on “Musical Memories of a 50s

Childhood” and on Thursday

October 10, also at 7.30pm, there

will be a Harvest Supper and AGM.

The competition is a “Cat Picture”.

Rushden and Newton Bromswold

WI meet at Rushden Town Bowls

Club, Northampton Rd, Rushden

NN10 6AN. More details from Julia

Allen: 01933 317846

Weekly cathedral worship soars

Figures released by the Church of

England show that the number of

worshippers at cathedrals increased

during 2012, continuing a growing

trend. Easter 2012 saw the highest

cathedral attendance in the last

decade at 54,700. Mid-week

services have also grown from

8,900 in 2002 to 16,800. Total attendance across all 42 cathedrals

showed an increase of 35% since

2002. One, slightly worrying,

explanation offered is a desire for

anonymity during the act of worship,

but there is also recognition that

cathedrals have developed strong

community links and in some cases

are filling the gaps left by withdrawal

of funding from youth and other

community projects - Ely Cathedral

packed in 700 people to watch the

opening night of the London

Olympics.

Peterborough Diocesan

Evangelical Fellowship [DEF]

event at Overstone Parish Church

on September 30 at 10.15 for 10.45: Looking at Baptism –

Principles – Policy – Pastoral

Practice. All are welcome more

details from Andrew Presland—

01933 316927.

The next meeting of the East

Northants Faith Group will take

place at 1 St Osyth Lane, Oundle at

9.30am on Wednesday 11

September: Andrew Presland has

more details.

Peterborough Diocese will be

holding “Discipleship in Action” at All

Saints’ School, Northampton on

Saturday 19th October. This will be a

day for people to explore expressing

their discipleship in the world, both

in existing projects and activities

and through initiating and

developing their own. More details

are available at http://

www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/

news-and-events/events/

details/726, or from Liz Holdsworth:

liz.holdsworth@peterborough-

diocese.org.uk or Andrew Presland.

32

Services for September 2013

NORMAL WEEKDAY SERVICES AT ST MARY’S RUSHDEN:

Mondays 10.00am Bumps & Babes @ Church - every week in term time

Wednesday 3.30-6.00pm Fun, Faith ‘n’ Food — first Wednesday of the month

Thursdays 10.30am Holy Communion [BCP] - every week

Thursdays 1.15pm Bumps & Babes @ Church - every week in term time

St Mary’s, Rushden St Peter’s Newton Bromswold

Sunday September 1—Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am

11.15am

6.00pm

All Age Holy Communion

Morning Prayer

Evening Worship

10.00am Family Service

Sunday September 8—Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

8.00am

9.30am

11.15am

6.00pm

Holy Communion [BCP]

All Age Service

Holy Communion

Evening Prayer

10.00am

3.00pm

Pete’s Pack

Evening Prayer

Sunday September 15—Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am

11.15am

6.00pm

All Age Parade Service

Morning Prayer

Holy Communion

10.00am Family Communion

Sunday September 22—Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

8.00am

9.30am

11.15am

Holy Communion [BCP]

All Age Service

Morning Prayer

NO Evening Prayer

10.00am

6.00pm

Pete’s Pack

HARVEST

THANKSGIVING

SERVICE

Sunday September 29—Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

10.30am

6.00pm

Joint Service for Harvest

Thanksgiving & Back to Church

Sunday

Harvest Praise

3.00pm

Holy Communion