God of grace, God of glory, Guide us by your goodness, That we may walk in your ways, Seek to do your will, and worship you always; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen

www.sleafordparishchurch.co.uk

February

2018

St Denys Bulletin

Prayer

Welcome to the February issue of the

St Denys Bulletin

ITEMS FOR THE BULLETIN

If you have an item you would like included in the St Denys Bulletin please email to office.stdenys1@btconnect.com,

by the Wednesday before the first Friday of every month. No bulletin in August or January.

If you are not on email, then please write item out in full and bring to the office.

Parish Admin

FIRST THURSDAY HOLY COMMUNION

Following discussions with the Methodist Church, a decision has been reached to suspend the Thursday evening ecumenical services until after Easter, at both St Denys and the Methodist Church.

IMPORTANT CHANGES

SUNDAY SERVICES Please note that until Easter, all Evensong and Taizé services will begin at 4pm.

Feb 4th Candlemas Feb 14th Ash Wednesday 8am BCP 8am Holy Communion 10am Candlemas 7pm Ash Wednesday Service 4pm Evensong

Feb 11th Quinquagesima Feb 18th Lent 1

8am Holy Communion 8am Holy Communion 10am Holy Communion 10am Holy Communion

6pm Wedding Evening 4pm Taizé Prayer

SLEAFORD PARISH CHURCH

FEBRUARY SERVICES

OTHER SERVICES Each weekday (except Wednesday) at 8.45am Morning Prayer in St

Hugh’s. Every Wednesday at 10am - Holy Communion either in The Lady

Chapel or St Hugh’s.

Feb 25th Lent 2 8am Holy Communion 10am Holy Communion 5pm Sunday @ five 6.45pm Compline

Mar 4th Lent 3 8am BCP 10am Holy Communion 4pm Evensong

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE There will be services on Ash Wednesday

(14th February) at 10am and 7pm.

LETTER FROM REV’D RHONA

Chains of Injustice He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act

justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

The theme of the Week of Christian Unity this year was ‘That we all may be free’.

Using resources created by Christians in the Caribbean and provided by Christians

Together in Britain and Ireland (https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity

-2018/) we were encouraged to prayerfully consider different areas of injustice im-

pacting on our communities and our world today: human trafficking, modern-day

slavery, addiction to pornography and drugs, the debt crisis, challenges to family life,

domestic abuse and violence.

The theme of injustice was picked up in Sunday@5 and is currently the area of pray-

er in the prayer space in the Trinity Chapel. Those visiting the prayer space are being

asked to consider what areas of injustice most trouble them in the world today, to

write these areas on a piece of paper, and to turn these pieces of paper into a paper

chain, a chain of injustice. They are then encouraged to pray for God to break these

chains of injustice, in our town, our country and our world. These paper chains of

injustice will be broken on Ash Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journey.

Like Teresa of Avila, the 16th Century Carmelite nun, in her famous poem copied

below, those at the Sunday@5 service were encouraged to think what it really

means to be part of the body of Christ as we work together against injustice. We

need to all remember that God can turn our smallest and apparently insignificant

efforts to combat injustice into something effective and beautiful.

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Teresa of Avila

INFORMATION AND NOTICES

THE LEARNING CHURCH

During 2018 we are replacing what we would normally do for the Lent Course and Advent Course with the eight sessions of the Learning Church. There are four stand-alone sections, each consisting of two sessions. You are welcome to attend as many of the four sections as you would like to bit it would be beneficial to attend both evenings of the section /s you choose. Can you please let the Parish Office know if you are intending coming to the sessions on the Reading Church.

ST DENYS EXPLORERS

S t Denys Explorers

INFORMATION AND NOTICES

JOSEPH

We are running a series of Explorers where we are looking at the stories that Jesus would have known as a boy (stories from our Old Testament). In March we are looking at Joseph.

EXPLORERS

Come and join us for stories, crafts, games, a service and a shared meal. For families with children under 11. Saturday, 3rd March at

11am in the Parish Room. Everyone welcome.

ANNE SMILLIE-PEARSON

Anne, who was the Editor of the Three Spires magazine until it

was replaced by this bulletin, who served this church in vari-

ous ways over many years including Churchwarden, Verger and

Parish Administrator. After a long battle with cancer she died

in Oakdene Nursing Home . Her funeral service will take

place at St Denys on Thursday, 15th February at 11am.

INFORMATION AND NOTICES

COMMUNICANTS’ GUILD Meets every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Church Room

Contact Pam on 01529 700105

Our first meeting of 2018 was our annual party on January 16th. This year we were entertained by Kesteven Morris dancers, who as always were fun to watch. At this time of year many of us have birds flocking to our gardens looking for food. So it is appropriate that our February speaker is Dr Chris Andrews of Frampton Marsh RSPB, who will talk to us about the birds found in our gardens in winter. As always, we would like to invite any members of the congregation who are interested to attend. The talk will be on Tuesday February 20th at 7 pm in the Church Centre.

GB

PCC MEETINGS—7pm

Ministry Committee - Tuesday, 6th Feb

Standing Committee - Monday, 19th Feb

SUNDAY @ FIVE Sunday, February 25th, 2018

Sunday@5 has a contemporary and contemplative feel and is aimed to be accessible to those who don't normally come to church as well as those who have attended for many years. Coffee, hot chocolate and cake served from 4.30pm.

Rev’d Rhona Knight

INFORMATION AND NOTICES

SLEAFORD HISTORY GROUP

Thursday, 15 February, 2018

at 7.30 p.m. in the Church Room

"HERALDRY AND HORSES" by Mr. Bill Busby.

Everybody welcome!"

MOTHERS’ UNION Meetings take place every 4th Tuesday at 2pm in the Church Hall

(except Aug and Dec) Contact through the Parish Office 01529 413607

Our January meeting was at the Barge & Bottle where 17 members and 4 guests enjoyed good company, good conversation and good food. We will next meet on 27

th February for our Annual General Meeting, 2 pm in

the Parish Centre.

ST DENYS RINGERS Practice every Friday at 7.30pm in the church

Contact through the Parish Office

ADVERT Do you need your car washed?

Or your grass cut?

I have been selected to go on the Carre’s rugby tour to South Africa in 2020 and I need to raise £2000. If I can do any jobs to help you and raise money for the tour please get in touch.

Hugh Johnson (304348)

INFORMATION AND NOTICES

USED POSTAGE STAMPS Thank you to all who have kindly contributed stamps, raising funds for the Leprosy Mission. Any stamps are welcome and it is helpful if foreign stamps are separated from GB issue and a border left around each stamp. (There is a box at the back of church for them all). A thank you card from the Leprosy Mission has recently been received and is now on our Missions Noticeboard (situated not far from the pulpit and near the Holy Trinity Chapel). This whole board makes interesting reading containing up to date news about missions and charities we support, and information concerning our links overseas. Do take time to have a look and a read and thank you to Minyon who keeps it so well-presented and ensures we know about the needs of those we endeavour to support and befriend beyond our own community.

Helen Bristow

BAPTISMS AND WEDDINGS For more information on booking baptisms and weddings please visit our website www.sleafordparishchurch.co.uk or ring the Parish Office on 01529 413607. The list of fees for 2018 is also on the website.

HIRE OF THE PARISH ROOMS

St Denys has two rooms available to hire. A hall for larger functions and a small meeting room. More information and application form are on the website. www.sleafordparishchurch.co.uk Please contact the Parish Office (01529 413607 between 9and 12 every week day) for availability.

HELP WANTED PLEASE!!

In early December last year it was very cold and wet. At St Deny's Church one Sunday, a homeless man came in, totally cold and with shoes that leaked and no chance of getting himself dry. We didn't do very well at helping him get dry, although we did give him a hot drink, some gloves and a chance to stay for a while. We also organised warm, dry clothing by Evensong, but he did not return to collect them.

This prompted me to ask if we could keep a small store of strong, leak free shoes, and some socks so that if we were ever asked for help like this again we could at least hand out some shoes and socks. Most homeless men seem to be small framed, and some sized 9 and 10 shoes would be of most use, but we wouldn't say no to larger sizes. We could store them somewhere accessible to Clergy and Church Wardens. So, when you are thinking of throwing out old men's shoes, and they are still water proof, please could we have them?"

BISHOPS’ VISITOR UPDATE

William Alvey School

Christmas seems a long time ago now but it is always a cause of great excitement in

school. By the beginning of December preparations are well under way with

reminders of what “stir up Sunday” and Advent are all about. The Assembly Hall

looks fantastic when the tree goes up and each class provides a sparkly mobile

decoration to hang from the ceiling.

The Reception classes (age 4/5) and their Y5 (age 9/10) “buddies” rehearsed and

presented 3 performances of their Nativity play, “Hey, Ewe”, re-telling the Christmas

story to the delight of crowds of parents and friends. All the youngest children were

dressed in character as a very curious sheep insisted on finding out what was going

on in Bethlehem one special night long ago! One of the perks of being a Bishop's

visitor is that I have the opportunity to be there at such wonderful events!

Did you see Look North on Friday evening, 8th December? If you did you would have

seen the school in the spotlight when their video and song which they have

recorded was broadcast. It proceded to make its way up the “charts”. Well done to

all those involved.

On 15th December the whole school came to St Denys for their annual Carol

Service of readings, carols, and contributions from different year groups. I was able to

read the Bishop's termly letter to the church schools.

On the evening of the 16th a small group of choir children took part in the Choral

Society's Christmas Concert in the church and made a joyful noise!! Thank you.

The final day of term, 19th December, was generally a “fun” day. I took my grand-

daughter, Gaia, who had arrived from Mexico City for a family Christmas, into school

for the morning. We went first into a whole school Assembly where she was

introduced and several children remembered her and where she lives from previous

visits over the last few years. We then went into a year 5 class (aged 9/10) – her age

group - where she answered questions from the children about living in Mexico and

the recent earthquake. I then took her on a tour of the school and popped into a

number of classrooms where she wished the children and staff Happy Christmas in

Spanish - “Feliz Navidad”!

The Churches Together in Sleaford event held in the Market Place on New Year’s Eve

was a great success and a few Alvey children performed in the closing service in

church. They gave an amusing, dramatic version of the story of Zacchaeus who

climbed a tree (the pulpit decorated with leaves!) to see Jesus and turned his life

around as a result.

Everyone was back in school for the new term in early January. The reredos project

work is now finished and will be presented in church at the 10-00am service at

Candlemas, on 4th February. I think you will be impressed by the results.

ctd on next page

PARENT AND TODDLER GROUP

Every Wednesday, during term time, at 9.30am in the Church Hall

Contact Rose on 01529 414616

ST DENYS CHOIR Full choir practice in the Church Hall at

7pm every Friday.

Director of Music David Prescott 01529 304581

BISHOPS’ VISITOR UPDATE ctd

One of my gifts at Christmas was two crosses from my Mexican family and with

their permission I decided to present one to the school for the Prayer Space

and the RE object collection for use in relevant lessons.

No sooner had I made this decision when I was given a collection of crosses,

gathered on her travels over many years by a member of our congregation,

Sarah Butchart. They were all subsequently blessed by the Vicar at a Wednesday

service and presented to the school. They are all very different in appearance

and come from a variety of countries and cultures. The RE co-ordinator is to

put them on a display in school and Sarah will be invited to visit the display,

attend an Assembly and be officially thanked for her kind gesture. I look forward

to arranging that. Any other donations of crosses will be gratefully received.

Beryl Risdell

ST DENYS RINGERS

Practice every Friday at 7.30pm in the church

Contact through the

Parish Office

BAPTISMS

Maija Snorniece 10th December

Nikole Olina 14th January

Demija Kovalkova 14th January

FUNERALS AND MEMORIAL SERVICES

7th December Joy Brackenbury 62 years

7th December Alma Shirley Harley 80 years

15th December Maurice Alan Housam 77 years

11th January Julie Anita Marshall 82 years

26th January Laurence Arthur Gunningham 88 years

1st February Roger Francis

1st February Hilary Humphries 81 years

Please remember them in your prayers

FROM THE REGISTERS

ONLINE GIVING St Denys has an online giving page. If you would like to make a

donation please follow the link below. www.give.net/sleafordparishchurch

The donation may also be gift aided if required. Any donations will be greatly received to upkeep

Sleaford Parish Church. If you require any more information please call Brenda Hitchcock. 01529 302775

The link is also on the website and the FB page

Plague and Pestilence: St. Denys’s at the Black Death

This is not a cheerful article! As we approach Lent, the latter half of the 14th.

Century might call us to reflect on our mortality.

Overshadowing the middle of the fourteenth century and the following

decades is the Black Death, principally during the episcopate of John Gynwell,

1347—1362. His registers for 1347 to 1350 record a death-rate of forty-four

per cent of beneficed clergy in the Diocese of Lincoln. Dorothy Owen, in

Church and Society in Medieval Lincolnshire, says that the bishop, "John Gynwell

tried, not wholly successfully, to deal with non-residence and other evils which

followed the Black Death". This was in a climate of an attitude of resentment

against the payment of tithes. Owen says:

"In such circumstances it is scarcely surprising that there was always a certain

amount of anticlericalism and that, in moments of local or national crisis, it

should flare up into a series of ugly incidents. There were three principal

periods of trouble, when ill feeling seems to have been widespread: the last

decade of the thirteenth century, the fifteen or twenty years after the Black

Death and the years from 1420 to 1455". ]

Further, she observes:

"The post-Black Death disturbances were less organized and probably

indicated no more than unscrupulous men taking advantage of the relaxation of

standards which followed the Pestilence. In 1353 and probably on other

occasions, the bishop found it necessary to enjoin incumbents to reside and

parochial chaplains to perform their duty, and some incumbents and chaplains

plainly took advantage of the crisis to indulge in a life of robbery and extortion.

Violence and aggression against clerics broke out intermittently ....."

What the effect on St. Denys's, Sleaford, was must remain speculation. In the list

of vicars, there has always been that long gap between the institution of John de

Whittlelegh in 1349 and that of Thomas le Warre in 1391. Admittedly, there are

references to William Newbald in 1377 and 1381. From the Clerical Poll-Taxes of

the Diocese of Lincoln, we know that the clerical staff of St. Denys's between

1377 and 1381 comprised not only the Vicar, Mr. Newbald, but also John de

Paunton, John Clerk, John de Lee, Hugh Porter and also Thomas de Navenby

who was the chaplain of the chantry of St. Mary.

All good cheerful stuff!

Douglas Hoare.

GROUPS MEETING IN THE CHURCH HALL

Group Day Time Frequency

Explorer Scouts Monday 7pm Weekly except Bank holidays and school holidays

Vitality Monday 9.15am and 10.15am

Weekly

South Lincs Blind Society

Tel: 01205 362654

Monday 2pm The 1st Monday of each month

Weight Watchers Tuesday 10am Weekly all year round

Mothers’ Union Tuesday 2pm Last Tuesday of every month but not Aug or Dec

Communicants’ Guild Tuesday 7pm Monthly on the 3rd Tuesday

Sleaford Museum Trust

Tuesday 7.30pm Alternate months on the 4th Tuesday.

Parent and Toddler Group

Wednesday 9.30am During term time

Sleaford Dementia Support Group

For more details: 07983 588 869

Wednesday 1pm Alternate Wednesdays, 1st and 3rd.

Yoga Wednesday 6.30pm Every Wednesday

Sleaford History Group Thursday 7.30pm Monthly, 3rd Thursday

St Denys Choir Friday 7pm Weekly

St Denys Ringers (Church)

Friday 7.30pm Weekly

St Denys Explorers Saturday 11am Monthly on the 1st Saturday, No meeting Jan, Apr, Aug and

Sept

Sleaford Widows Group

01526 832935

Saturday 2.30pm Last Saturday in every month except December

Vicar of Sleaford The Rev’d Philip Johnson 01529 304348 revdphilip@aol.com

Assistant Curate The Rev’d Rhona Knight 01529 300237 revrhona@btinternet.com

Rural Dean The Rev’d Christine Pennock 01526 832643

Vicar of Quarrington The Rev’d Mark Thomson 01529 306776

Churchwardens Richard Clash 07714 565678 Philip Starks 01529 307144

Director of Music David Prescott 01529 304581 david@djprescott.uk

SLEAFORD PARISH CHURCH

CONTACTS

Lincolnshire Co-operative Ltd Sleaford Funeral Home

Funeral Directors and Monumental Masons Tel: 01529 306311

PCC Treasurer Brenda Hitchcock 01529 302775

The Parish Office Parish Administrator Paula Ireland Parish Office Opening Hours Mon-Fri 9am—12pm 01529 413607 office.stdenys1@btconnect.com The Parish Office Market Place SLEAFORD NG34 7SH Registered charity No: 1127600 www.sleafordparishchurch.co.uk

Sleaford Parish Church To hire the Church Hall or The Peake Room please enquire at the Parish Office. Baptism and wedding application forms may be downloaded from the website. Enquiries to the Parish Office.