Messenger April 2012 - Melksham Team Ministry

MESSENGER
‘Working to see God’s Kingdom come’
Time to
Celebrate
‘Shout out and declare the Good News that
Jesus is risen. He is alive and has set us free’
‘He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!’
St. Michaels - St. Andrews - St. Barnabas, Beanacre
www.melkshamteamministry.org.uk April 2012 Edition
45p
HAPPY EASTER INSIDE THE APRIL 2012 ISSUE
New Lords
table at Forest
and Sandridge
page 8
Baptism at
St Michael’s
page 4
Bashing times at
St Barnabas!
page 4&23
Easter
reflections
centre pages
Susan Taylor
tells a story
and Pam
Muller a
poem.
pages 14 & 15
Messy
church
update from
Natasha
page 12&13
John has a
confession to
make
page 16
Is Marriage to
be redefined ?
page 7
Tim Ayres
continues his
story on
page 21
Sinking of the
Titanic. 100th
Anniversary
Lorraine &
Alun relate.
Page 26
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
“And finally,” she says, “I want a third
thing. This was also the wish of my
husband. And so, I would kindly ask
someone to come to my side and lead me
across the courtroom so that I can take Mr
van der Broek in my arms and embrace
him and let him know that he is truly
forgiven.” As the court assistants come to
lead the old woman across the room, Mr
van der Broek, faints. As he does, those in
the courtroom, family, friends, neighbours
– all victims of decades of oppression and
injustice – begin to sing, softly but
assuredly the words of Amazing Grace.
Forgiveness of that magnitude came from
this lady knowing Jesus as her lord and
saviour. It came from her understanding
the message of Easter and being
transformed by it.
Christianity still has power, and the
church is not a spent force,
notwithstanding that the Courts are ruling
against people who pray at the beginning
of council meetings, or against people
who pray for others to be healed on the
streets outside Bath Abbey. Would you
rather be in a society where this sort of
forgiveness is possible or in one where
God is edged out? Would you rather be in
a church where true forgiveness is the
order of the day, or one where issues
continue to fester?
With Every Blessing
Andrew writes…
One of the most
outstanding stories
that came out of the
South Africa’s Truth
and Reconciliation
Commission
Rev Andrew Evans concerned an old
lady, then aged 70 plus. Both her son
and then her husband had been
murdered by Mr van der Broek, a
security police officer. The son had been
shot and burnt and the husband burnt
alive in front of this dear lady. Mr van
der Broek was found guilty of the two
murders and then the judge asked this
question; he said to the women, “So
what do you want? How should justice
be done to this man who has so brutally
destroyed your family?”
“I want three things,” begins the old
woman calmly, but confidently. “I want
first to be taken to the place where my
husband’s body was burned so that I can
gather up the dust and give his remains a
decent burial.” She pauses, then
continues. “My husband and my son
were my only family, I want secondly,
therefore, for Mr van der Broek to
become my son. I would like for him to
come twice a month to the ghetto and
spend a day with me so that I can pour
out on him whatever love I still have
remaining in me.”
Andrew
Its time to book for the Melksham Team away
weekend at Brunel Manor. Last year those that
came to the weekend had a very enjoyable time.
The date is the 4th - 6th May. Booking forms in
all team churches. Further details also on the web
site. www.melkshamteamministry.org.uk
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Mon 2
Tue
3
Wed 4
Thurs 5
Fri 6
7am
2pm
2pm
7am
7.30pm
7am
11am
7.00pm
9.30am
2.00pm
6.30pm
Holy Communion & Breakfast, St Michael’s
Singing for Pleasure, St Barnabas (every Monday at 2pm)
Wharf Court Holy Communion
Holy Communion & Breakfast, St Michael’s
Baptism Preparation, 41 Blueberry Road
Holy Communion & Breakfast, St Michael’s
Holy Communion & Bring & Share Lunch, Maple Cl
Family of Churches Footwashing Service, Baptist Ch
Family Service, St Michael’s
Hour at the Cross, St Michael’s
Reflections on the Cross, St Andrew’s
Sun 8
Wed 11 10am
2.15pm
Easter Day
Brookside Holy Communion
Crown House Holy Communion
Sun 15
Tues 17 7.30pm
Wed 18 10.00am
7.30pm
Thur 19 7.30pm
Second Sunday of Easter
Joez Perez “Get Ready for the Harvest”, St Barnabas
Holy Communion, St Michael’s
Joez Perez “Get Ready for the Harvest”, St Barnabas
Joez Perez “Get Ready for the Harvest”, St Barnabas
Sun 22
Wed 25 10.00am
10.30am
11.00am
Thur 26 7.30pm
Third Sunday of Easter
Brookside Holy Communion
Coffee Morning, St Andrew’s Hall
Giffords Court Holy Communion
APCM, St Michael’s Church Room
Sun 29
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April Prayer Meeting Assembly Hall
Last Tuesday's In April (24) and May (29) starting at 7.30pm.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Sunday Services in April
St Andrew’s
St Barnabas
St Michael’s
8am
Holy Communion
Sunday 1st
Palm Sunday
10am
Family Communion
10am
Family Communion
9.30am
Common Worship
Communion
11am
Angels Alive!
8am
Holy Communion
Sunday 8th
Easter Day
10am
Family Communion
10am
Family Communion
9.30am
Common Worship
Communion
11am
Angels Alive!
Sunday 15th
8am
Holy Communion
Second
Sunday of
Easter
Sunday 22nd
Third Sunday
of Easter
11am
TEAM COMMUNION
8am
Holy Communion
10am
Family Communion
10am
Morning Worship
9.30am
Common Worship
Communion
11am
Angels Alive!
8am
Holy Communion
Sunday 29th
Fourth
Sunday of
Easter
10am
Family Worship
10am
Morning Worship
7pm
Service of
Healing & Prayer
9.30am
Common Worship
Communion
11am
Angels Alive!
5pm
Memorial Service
May Issue Deadline is Sunday 8th
April - Your feedback is welcome.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
To begin with: A Happy Easter to all our readers. This month you will see that we
have included new contributors to the Messenger. As editor I find what people write
about is interesting and often greatly encouraging even if I do not always agree with
what has been written. Maybe you will find issues raised you do not always agree
with. As long as I remain editor I will encourage people to write in, to air a hot topic.
To sometimes be challenging. Some already write in about areas of concern. One
area is about taking friends or neighbour a copy of the magazine I know many of you
do this already. How the magazine will develop will remain to be seen, I would like
the opportunity to extend the number of pages even further, to retain the colour
pages, as with all these things cost is a factor. Please consider subscribing or making
a donation towards the cost.
Barry April 2012
The end of an era It’s twelve years Baptised at St Michaels recently, George
now since Pentecost 2000. At that
Mills son of Allison and Simeon.
time nearly all town church leaders Simeon’s brother
made a declaration to pray for our
Chris in the front
town, and to work in unity together. row of the picture
The vision was and still is to work
was also baptised and
together to bring 5000 men plus
became one of
women and children to a living faith George's godparents.
in Jesus Christ. One of the founders Allison and Simeon
of that declaration Robin Henderson said ‘we had a wonderful day with the Rev
is leaving his post at Queensway
Claire Parr giving an inspiring service.’
Chapel. Those of us who know
Beanacre Bash call it what you will, a good
Robin are very sad that he will no
night was had by all especially the entertainers.
longer hold office as a church leader Fun, food and laughter, seventy people packed
in this town. Robin has been a key
St Barnabas.
person who has done an immense
Thanks to a great team who
job always at the forefront of
organised the event and a
initiatives, always ready to speak
special thank you to Helen
out. He would readily negotiate with and John Guymer. Pictured
town leaders about how our faith
here Shirley Allister leads a
interacted with the people of this
colourful presentation of Land
town. His administration skills and of Hope and Glory.
leadership within the Family of
Meanwhile Sylvia Beamish
Churches will be desperately missed.
seen here on the left starts to
Sue and Robin we thank you and
put the team to rights. I have
pray that God will guide you and
invited her to send in occasional
give you provision and peace. Ed.
articles to the magazine.
Congratulations Shirley & Graham
Already another event is lined
Allister on their Golden Wedding
up at St Barnabas called a
Anniversary
Wiltshire celebration of St George’s Day, see
The Team Annual General
page 23 of this issue. Some of the acts have
Meeting is at St Michael’s on the
been booked to appear later this year at Brunel
26th April starting at 7.30pm.
Manor.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Emails; letters and feedback
Celebrate the 23rd of April
St George's Day, fun, frivolity and
fellowship. A good chinwag with the
person sat either side of you whilst eating,
drinking and singing.
What do the English do - not a lot until
now!This will be a Wiltshire Celebration
of St George's Day and all things English
- definitely not very serious, probably
rather silly, to be held at St Barnabas
Schoolroom on Monday 23rd April 2012
7pm for 7.30pm.
Pre purchased ticket (cost £5, or more if
you're feeling flush) as catering
numbers are limited; tickets available
from Stanford Cole on 01225 702393. All
proceeds to St Barnabas Car Park Appeal.
Oh and bring your own English Cider.
Stanford Cole
ps. There will be a prize for the best
dressed person in national costume'
Soup Run Update
By the time you read this the Monday
evening Trowbridge soup run will have
been operating for more than three
months. The good news is that we have
had a team turn up at the right place, at
the right time, every Monday since we
started. Not only that but the team has
been armed with sandwiches, soup,
bananas, chocolate biscuits, tea, coffee
and everything else necessary to provide
some food and drink to the people who
turn up. They vary in numbers but our
clients are always very pleased to see us,
extremely polite and really grateful for
our efforts. So a big thank you to
everybody who has given time or money
to the soup run, you can be sure it is a
very worthwhile project. If anyone else
would like to volunteer to help in any way
please contact me on 01225 709489 or
[email protected].
Kevin.
Check it out
Listening to talks and sermons reminds me
of what Jeff Lucas once said and I
paraphrase. ‘Someone told me that as a
preacher I was not to his taste as if I was a
pizza. The role of the preacher is to present
the truth of the Scripture however
uncomfortable or irritating to the listener.
When faithful preaching makes us squirm,
let’s respond by wrestling with the issues
raised and offering whole hearted obedience
to God. Don’t shout at the messenger.’ CB
If you find yourself disagreeing with the
talk or sermon check it out. ed.
The body of Christ
We must not suppose that only the
building in which we come together to
pray and celebrate the mysteries of the
Lord’s temple, for we ourselves who come
together in the Lord’s name are more fully
his temple…. Let us busy ourselves in
building an eternal mansion by the mutual
help of charity so that when our Lord
Jesus Christ comes he may find us all with
cheerful hearts and tireless in doing all
the good which he has commanded us to
do.’
Bede
Prayer:
God of grace, you called Bede into
community to work and to worship, to
learn and to teach. Draw all of us more
closely into your body that in mutual love
and fellowship we may do your work and
follow your will. Amen.
We are a community that could be built up
and demonstrate God’s love. Like the
early church living the gospel in all its
fullness.
Taken from a hand delivered note to
the editor
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
of Bethsaida ( Mark 8) where Jesus does
more formally lay hands on the man.
There are 3 other Greek words used to
describe touch used by Jesus as he healed:
To touch firmly, (haptomai), for example
The healing of the 2 blind men in
Matthew 9), To touch lightly, (thigo), and
to grab (epilambanomai).
What then does this mean for us, it
means that we have to follow the leading
of the Holy Spirit, when we pray, There is
no one method that fits all situations.
JESUS HEALING
TOUCH
There has been much
controversy about the
use of touch in the
Christian healing
ministry, but what did
Rev Helen Begley Jesus do? The truth is
that if we look at Jesus’ ministry then
touch was not strictly necessary for
healing to happen. The healing of the
centurion’s servant is an example (Luke
7), when Jesus gives the word and he is
cured even though he is not even present
when Jesus prays. The woman with the
haemorrhage ( Mark 5) touched Him, and
without his consent, and she too was
healed.
Touch doesn’t even need to be present at
all. In my own experience a number of us
were praying at a prayer group meeting
for a lady in Australia who had cancer,
and was awaiting treatment. She didn’t
know we were praying for her. We didn’t
even know her, her name had been passed
to us by someone in our village. We later
heard that she had a powerful experience
of the Holy Spirit at the time we were
praying, and medical tests later showed
that her cancer had gone.
So what did Jesus do when he healed
people? The truth is He did lots of
different things, some of which would be
seen as very odd today, for example when
he made mud and put it on the blind
man’s eyes (John 9), or put his fingers in
the deaf man’s ears (Mark 7).
Interestingly in both these cases Jesus
recognises the need of the individual to be
in a quiet place away from the crowd
where he can communicate clearly with
them.
Jesus also practised the “Laying on of
hands” when He healed people, but as we
will see Jesus had no 1 preferred way of
praying. There are only two actual cases
in the gospel where the Greek word for
laying on of hands” (epithesis) is used, In
the case of Jairus’ daughter, Jairus
expects the laying on of hands, but Jesus
does not do so, he speaks a word of
command and then takes her by the hand.(
the word here means to grab hold of !)(
Luke 8) and the healing of the blind man
Mostly when people are present when we
pray, some form of touch will be part of
our prayer for healing. We should always
ask permission before we touch someone
we are praying for, and touch should
always be appropriate. Sometimes touch
will be used in our communication,
especially if the person we are praying for
has a sight or hearing loss, sometimes it
will be a way of showing compassion and
understanding, sometimes our touch will
bless those we pray for, and sometimes
we will “Lay hands on a sick or troubled
person in order to allow God’s healing
power to flow through us to the sick
person.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
JESUS HEALING TOUCH Contd.
Again much is made of physical
sensation, such as our hands becoming
hot or shaking. However this is not
necessary for healing to happen and some
of the most powerful healing I have seen
has been accompanied by no physical
sensation whatsoever.
In our churches and healing ministries we
seem to have settled on “The laying on of
hands” in a formal sense as “THE way to
pray for healing. However as we have
seen there are only two examples in the
gospels of Jesus himself using this
method of prayer. We need to be sensitive
to the Holy Spirit’s leading in each
individual case we are involved in, we
have to trust in our God who is the one
who heals, and not individual methods or
procedures we find most comfortable. As
we said last month it is not our knowledge
or experience of different methods of
healing that matters, it is the God given
love and compassion in which the
ministry takes place that is the right
setting, and that is not dependant on the
holiness or superiority, of any one
building or method. Next month we will
consider the “Prayer of Authority and
command” in this article.
A consultation on redefining marriage is set to be launched by the Government.
A grassroots campaign group against the redefinition of marriage has been started.
Leading public figures including politicians from the Conservative and Labour
parties, lawyers, academics and religious leaders, have already signed affirming that
marriage is between one man and one woman for life.
Marriage is unique:Throughout history and in virtually all human societies marriage
has always been the union of a man and a woman. Marriage reflects the complementary natures of men and women. Although death and divorce may prevent it, the evidence shows that children do best with a married mother and a father.
No need to redefine: Civil partnerships already provide all the legal benefits of marriage so there's no need to redefine marriage. It's not discriminatory to support traditional marriage. Same-sex couples may choose to have a civil partnership but no one
has the right to redefine marriage for the rest of us.
Profound consequences:: If marriage is redefined, those who believe in traditional
marriage will be sidelined. People's careers could be harmed, couples seeking to
adopt or foster could be excluded, and schools would inevitably have to teach the new
definition to children.
Speak up: People should not feel pressurised to go along with same-sex marriage just
because of political correctness. They should be free to express their views. If you
support the legal definition of marriage which is the voluntary union for life of one
man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Oppose any attempt to redefine it.
Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said: “The honourable estate of
matrimony precedes both the state and the church, and neither of these institutions
have the right to redefine it in such a fundamental way”.
For more information : The Coalition for Marriage petition can be signed at
www.c4m.org.uk
© 2012 - Coalition For Marriage
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
On behalf of Anna Mears and the children
and staff at Forest & Sandridge I would
like to say a very big thank you to Mr
Courage the time he gave in making our
new altar and to the Bishop Wordsworth
Trust for the grant to enable us to fund it.
Forest & Sandridge
Donna Woodbridge
News from Forest & Sandridge School
Hello everyone, here we are again with
another update from Forest and Sandridge
School. As always there have been some
exciting events and activities over the last
month.
The two I have chosen to write about this
month are: - the new Altar at School and
the sing song at the annual senior citizens
party.
Firstly, the commissioning of the new
altar.
We are very excited to have finally been
able to purchase a special new altar. It is
even more special because it has been
especially made by Mr Courage, the
talented husband of our Foundation Stage
teacher. It is a beautifully made piece that
will be a focus in the school hall for a very
long time to come. Revs Dave & Claire
Parr came into the school to commission
the new altar during a morning assembly.
The children were asked to first think
about things that were important to them
and things that would be hard to give up.
Rev Claire then explained to the children
how things were given to God on an altar
for sacrifices. Rev Dave & Claire played
out a story from the Bible to the children
to help them understand.
It was also then explained that since Jesus
died for us an altar is no longer somewhere
to bring a sacrifice but something that
helps us to remember the ultimate sacrifice
Jesus made for us on the cross. Finally, the
children joined Dave and Claire in a
blessing of the new altar by stretching their
hands out to pray.
The Senior Citizen Annual Party.
A number of children from Forest &
Sandridge school singing club very kindly
gave up some of their Saturday afternoon
to come to St Andrew’s church hall to
entertain the 20 or so senior citizens who
had come for afternoon tea. The children
sang some superb songs with great energy
and enthusiasm. The guests were truly
thrilled that the children were able to come
and really did enjoy their performance. So,
I would like to say thanks to the children
for their support & effort.
On that note the choir will be going to the
02 Arena this month to sing so this story
will be continued in the next issue of
News from Forest & Sandridge!
I trust you have enjoyed reading our
exciting news and will look forward to
hearing all about our news and events next
time.
Donna Woodbridge
It was a lovely service, one which was
enjoyed by all.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
the New Barn Centre near Chesil Beach
and the following week 25 pupils from
Year 5 are going to the Pinkney Outdoor
Education Centre on Exmoor!
Spotlight The Manor School.
The new Learning Theme for The Manor
School is “Spotlight on The World”. The
country that the school is looking at in
particular is Bangladesh. The pupils will
be studying its geography and culture, its
art and weather systems and its religion. .
Their key questions include “What is
Bangla?” “How does melting snow
threaten a nation?” and “Why is God
important to Muslims?”
A smaller spotlight of congratulations
must be shone on Liam Bainton of Year 1
who was the overall winner of February’s
Poetry Competition.
The spring reports have gone out to
parents and the parent and child
consultation meetings will take place
before Easter. This is a new experience
for our NQTs to be slotted into their
learning curve at The Manor School.
Sadly though, one of our NQTs is having
to leave through ill-health. Our best
wishes go with her.
April is an active time for residential
trips. Towards the end of the month, 20
pupils from Years 3 and 4 are staying in
The attached photo shows the reception
class in their pyjamas celebrating World
Book Day at the beginning of March. The
whole school wore their nightwear (yes,
including the staff who were too bashful
to be photographed) and the younger ones
were served hot chocolate and bedtime
stories before going home. Altogether
now; “Aah”..
Lesley Windebank
A SUIT FOR SUCCESS: DO YOU HAVE A SPARE? An appeal from ‘Amber’
one of our local charities:
For the last 17 years we have been helping disadvantaged unemployed young
people to get back into work and we were delighted when tailoring company A Suit
That Fits invited us to be part of their national campaign “A Suit To Success”. In a
climate with 2.67 million people unemployed in the UK, the pressure is on to
impress at interview and studies have shown that first impressions, like what you
wear, affect your fundamental judgement of a person. Between March 5�� and April
26�� men and women of Britain are being asked to donate their unwanted suits. The
suits will be gifted to Amber and homelessness charities Broadway and Emmaus,
who also work with their clients to help them support themselves. There are a
number of drop off points around the UK, including Amber, and donors will be
rewarded with a £50 tailoring voucher. You can drop off suits at ‘Amber at
Trowbridge’ – Bythesea Lodge, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8HR
from 5th March - April 26th - Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm. To find out more about
AMBER and EMMAUS visit www.amberweb.org. and www.emmausbristol.org.uk.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Book the date in your diary – contact us
today, to reserve your tickets as the
numbers are very much restricted due to
the size of the venue. Refreshments, CDs
Garth Hewitt and the AMOS TRUST
and books will be available.
nd
will be visiting Melksham on 22 May
Venue : St Barnabas Church, Beanacre
with this years concert entitled ‘Hymns of
Road (A350) Beanacre, Melksham.
Liberation’. Garth has a passion for
Tickets in advance £7-50p and concession
justice and freedom for Christians to
cost of £5
celebrate their faith in the country of their
Contact : Chris Pickett (01225)-920400
birth. As a Canon at the Cathedral in
e-mail : [email protected]
Jerusalem, he is very much behind the
cause of the Palestinians people and has
A mother was teaching her 3 year old
spoken publicly on the pressure that they daughter the Lord's prayer. For several
are under by the Israeli Government. This evenings at bedtime she repeated it
has brought him into sharp focus by pro- after her mother. One night she said
Israeli supporters but as Christians we are she was ready to go solo. The mother
called to defend the weak and support the listened with pride as she carefully
poor in our midst – which includes ALL
enunciated each word right up to the
in the Holy Land.
end,"Lead us not into temptation" she
GARTH HEWITT CONCERT TUESDAY 22nd MAY at 7-30pm
The proposed concert will be an enjoyable
event with, hopefully, audience
participation as well as humour and tears.
A time of thought provoking songs
written by Garth which will send you
away, much more ‘in tune’ with our
brothers and sisters whose daily lives are
so different from our own.
prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail,
10
Brunel Manor
Time To Sign Up
May 4th - 6th 2012
Leaflets in all team churches
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
The Garden in April
At long last, spring has arrived! As you
look out upon your garden, you may be
thinking, "where do I begin"?
So why not just delight in the moment,
simply enjoy the beauty of the earth, the
flora, listen to the birds as they sing, it
seems just for you. Then put on those
gardening gloves and get to work, not
too much, little by little, suddenly your
garden will start to bloom and then your
garden aches and pains will become
something that gives you a real feeling
of satisfaction.
There still is time to plant trees and
shrubs. The months of, April and May
are ideal for pruning evergreens.
April is the month for planting Summer
flowering bulbs like Dahlias, Gladiolas
and Lilies.
Plant annual seeds of Asters, Marigolds
and Zinnias in the garden.
When all frost danger has passed you
can plant Geraniums outdoors.
Deadhead spring flowering bulbs but
allow the green leaves to continue to
grow for a few weeks, it will then
provide the bulb with food for flowering
next year.
Genesis Gardens will help:
Prepare; plant; sow and
maintain your plot. Prune; care
for all bushes & small trees .
Mow and edge your lawn .
Compost where possible .
General odd jobs no job too
small; reasonable rates
David Vaughton 01225 700492
Its time to plant Peas, Carrots, Spinach
and Cabbage etc.
Lawns are now growing well. The
application of a spring type of lawn
fertilizer should perk up the lawn and
improve its over-all colour and appearance.
If there is moss growing in the lawn, use
spring lawn fertilizer that has the mosskiller included, so you can do both jobs in
one easy application.
Spring is also a good time to thatch and
over seed the lawn.
Thatch buildup can smother your lawn and
provide an environment for diseases.
Remove thatch with a brisk raking, or with
a de thatching machine.
Local garden worth a visit.
The Courts Garden at Holt. Delightful English country garden. Full of variety, this
charming garden shows the English country
style at its best.
Peaceful water gardens and herbaceous
borders, with organically shaped topiary,
demonstrate an imaginative use of colour
and planting, creating unexpected vistas.
Stroll through the arboretum with its
wonderful species of trees and naturally
planted spring bulbs. Gardens open 11am 5.30pm, closed Wednesdays, March till
September.
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MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Messy Church
The planning for Messy Church has
already begun, and when sorting through
paperwork with Donna last week we
discovered that since launching in
October we have seen 57 different
families at Messy Church and many of
these have come more than once!
Please keep Messy Church in your
prayers as we send 240 invites out to the
Manor School and put articles into the
Bowerhill Villager and the Forest and
Sandridge School newsletter! The next
event is 11th April at Forest and
Sandridge school. Doors will open for
registration at 14.45 and the event will
begin at 15.00. Due to the popularity of
MC, we ask that you will book your
place ASAP to avoid disappointment.
I don’t know about you, but I am scared
by this statistic and also rather frustrated
that we have allowed this to happen.
Could you imagine our churches filled
with 55% of the local children? I think it
would be fantastic, and it’s time we start
taking steps to make that happen again!
To begin with we have seen some
transformation to the set-up of Junior
Church at St Michaels Church. Due to
popular demand we are trialling offering
Junior Church at the 9.30 and 11.00
services. Here is the new pattern: 1st and
3rd Sundays at 9.30 and 1st, 3rd (if no
baptisms), 4th and 5th at 11.00.
It’s our responsibility…
What’s our priority and what does that
mean for the future?
The Time Bomb
C of E has relied on returners
Sunday School – 1900 55% of children
attended, 1940 35%, 1970 14%, 1990
6%, 2000 4%.
Natasha Friett
12
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
I would like to challenge everyone who is
reading this to pray and ask God to show
them a family to invite along to Church,
and to have the courage to actually bring
them along! After all, it’s not just
the Junior Church leaders who
hold the responsibility for
encouraging others in, it’s a
whole church mission! Let’s be
praying that next month I will be
reporting back about significant growth
to Junior Church!
wanted a hands-on, memorable service
that will really get the children thinking
about the true meaning of Easter.
If you feel you would like to do more
than just invite someone to Church, then
we are looking to grow our
‘Open the Book’ team. We
currently act out bible stories
at Kings Park School on
Tuesday mornings, but would
really value a few more people
with a heart to serve. If we could get
enough people on board there is another
school locally that would like to explore
‘Open the Book’ too! Feel free to contact
me and we can have a chat if you feel
God is stirring you in this direction.
Natasha Friett
Another service that would be good to
bring families along to would be our
Good Friday family service, 9.30 at St
Michaels Church. This is being planned
specially for Families with lots of
exciting activities and workshops! We
"How To Cook A Husband"
A good many husbands are utterly
spoiled in the cooking by
mismanagement.. Some women keep
their husband constantly in hot water,
others let them freeze by indifference
and carelessness, some keep them in a
stew, by irritating way and words, others
roast them. Some keep them in a pickle
all their lives.
You cannot expect them to be tender and
good if managed in this way, but they are
really delicious if properly treated.
In selecting a husband, do not go to the
market for him, as the best are always
brought to your door. See that the linen
in which you wrap him is properly
washed and mended, with the required
number of buttons and strings tightly
sewn on. Tie them with strong cord
called "comfort", as the one called "duty"
is apt to be weak. If he splutters and
fusses, do not be anxious, as some
husbands do this until they are "done".
Add a little sugar in the form of what
confectioners call "kisses", but no
vinegar or pepper on any account. A
little spice improves them, but it must be
used with judgment.
Angela Holmes
Just look how Chris turned out. ed.
A day with John Bell
of the Iona Community
Why do God’s people sing?
John will lead us in a look at how songs,
traditional and contemporary, shape our
belief. Reclaiming the Bible
as the People’s Book.
10am-4.30pm, Saturday 28 April 2012
Trinity Church, Stallard Street, Trowbridge
(the church on the roundabout)
Cost for the day: £10 To register: contact
Sal McDougall
([email protected]; 01225 755145)
13
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
MY JOURNEY TO EASTER
the wrong base. I wasn’t doing it because I
wanted to prioritise more time with, and
working for, the Lord, and learning from his
My grandson was about six when he asked
desert experience. If Lent was a time for me
me ‘Why is it called Good Friday? It ought
to be Bad Friday.’ I’d never thought about it to reflect on Jesus’ life and teachings, and to
at his age. Apart from always singing ‘There give time to others, then I needed to give
time specifically for that purpose. With
is a Green Hill far away’ on the last day of
term, Good Friday was very good; we went giving as my aim, it was a doddle!
to Daisy Nook fair, where you could buy
Gratefully I banished ‘giving up’, instead
day-old, cheeping, yellow-fluff chicks, and
during Lent and Holy Week giving more
we children were given money to spend on
time to listening to the Lord, discovering
the roundabout, or swing boats. Lent?
more about how his
Never heard of it. Easter
teachings and life, and
Day? Like Christmas
the desert, apply here
Day but not as good,
and now, then putting
because the presents were
into practice....turned
chocolate eggs, never
out this includes
books.
looking at my
temptations [which do
I grew up, I became a
not include chocolate]
Christian, I read up on
and chronic sins, and
Easter, including ‘Good’
no, I’m not going to
Friday. Lent didn’t seem
tell you what they are.
to be an integral part of it
This approach of
in the Bible, but it was in
giving, though, means
the church year. So began
I ‘give up’ something
my annual struggle to
because there are still
give up something.
only 24 hours in a day,
Whatever I gave up, I
even in Lent. It just
resumed after a few days, and gave up again,
seems as there are more hours to
and again. I found others giving up wine or
chocoholics. Oddly I never realize what has
chocolate, biscuits or chocolate, bread,
potatoes or chocolate; said grandson thought been given up till after Easter Day. I don’t
notice it because that’s not my focus.
of giving up going to school but his mum
didn’t allow it .... reading about why we give
My grandchildren say ‘I can’t live till
something up during Lent helped me not a
Christmas’, as I did, and my mum always
scrap. My guilt complex was enormous!
said I had to be good or there’d be no
Every year I dreaded Lent, till the year I
presents. Christmas was my pinnacle of joy
realized I was giving up for the wrong
as I always received lots of books and book
reasons.
tokens. Bliss! I thought nothing could
surpass it; I was wrong. Easter Day is
Giving up because I thought it was
something I ‘ought’ to do, was starting from incomparably greater!
Susan Taylor
14
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
That, I’d not expected, but then it was a
surprise to the disciples; after ‘good’ Friday
they’d not really thought they’d ever see Jesus
again. Big let-down, then Easter Day came as
a shock to them! Jesus’ resurrection changed
everything, created a new reality underpinning
daily life from then on. And so, for me, Easter
Day is not the end, the climax of Lent and
Good Friday; rather they are the necessary
journey to the exciting gift on Easter Day, the
knowledge of how much we - I - are loved and
forgiven, the start of a new way of life forever.
It’s better than chocolate eggs, better even than
books.
But I can still see why non Christians wonder
why we call that Friday ‘Good’.
SOME SAY GOD IS DEAD!
Back in the 1880's Nietzsche declared that
"God is dead," and before the turn of the
Twentieth Century, Shaw, and Wells chimed in
saying the 20th Century would mark the end of
the world's "religious phase."
Yet, today Christians now meet in Russia's
Museum of Religion and Atheism-the former
centre of atheism. Nearly half of the United
States' population attend Worship on a regular
basis while revival is sweeping through Latin
America. Christianity grows strongly in China.
Nietzsche, Shaw and Wells have long since
decayed in their graves, and God continues to
live!
Muhammad died, and was buried. His faithful
followers take pilgrimages to visit his remains,
the same is true of Buddha and other religious
leaders. But it is not true of Jesus. You cannot
visit His remains, you can only visit His empty
grave, because He isn't there. He Arose!
That's why we celebrate, that's the message of
Easter. He is risen. He is risen, indeed!
Dr. James L. Wilson
15
THE FIRST EASTER
Dear Friends it is Easter,
And at this time we think,
Of an ever loving Jesus,
Who came to make a link
With God, who is in Heaven,
He sent His only Son,
To let us know His will,
And how He wants it done.
Now Jesus was a good man,
He was loving, true and kind,
He helped the lonely, and the sad,
And healed the sick, and blind.
One day, He was arrested,
Because He was God’s King,
By people cruel and hard,
To Pilate they took Him.
They shouted at Him “Crucify,
On a cross, a painful sight
And so this lovely Jesus died,
Our loving Lord of light.
Friends put Him in a grave
With a great big rock outside,
But Easter morning, when they went,
The rock was rolled aside.
He had woken from the dead,
And God had moved the stone,
So Jesus was alive again,
And we need not be alone.
Now He’s with God in Heaven,
And when we say our prayers,
He listens and will bless us
Because He always cares.
So happy Easter, to you all,
May God keep you in His will,
And may His goodness grow in you,
His peace and joy instil.
Pam Muller
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
‘DISCWORLD NOIR FOR EVER...
Can I confess to an
Rev John addiction? There are
Lefroy
three computer games
based on Terry
Pratchett’s Discworld series. I’ve been
addicted to them all and at the moment I
am hooked on Discworld Noir – partly
because of the dry humour in the
dialogue. It’s a spoof on ‘Dark’ films –
so everything takes place at night, it’s
always raining, and there’s always an
absolute minimum of light except when
there’s a lightning flash. The hero is a
seedy cynical detective called Lewton
who underneath is really pretty decent;
he’s hired by a dark and sultry femme
fatale to find a man called Mundy – an
exercise which soon involves three
interwoven sets of murders. Characters
include a troll called Malachite and a
good-hearted vampire called Samael
who is based on the pianist in
Casablanca. Procedure is by finding
hidden objects, discovering new
locations on the set, finding clues which
are then written in a notebook by an
unseen hand, and systematically asking
questions. You start off with lots of
different leads to follow but by the time
you reach Act 2 – which I’ve left to
write this article – the leads narrow
down and I’m going round and round in
circles until I can find one little object or
one question which I haven’t asked
which takes the plot forward; but then
the options narrow down again until I
find the next tiny little clue that leads me
on....
WHICH BRINGS ME TO A HYMN:
‘Lead kindly light amidst the encircling
gloom, lead Thou me on: the night is
dark and I am far from home, lead Thou
me on. Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask
to see the distant scene; one step enough
for me... So long thy power has blest me,
sure it still will lead me on o’er moor
and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the
night is gone; and with the morn those
angel faces smile which I have love long
since, and lost awhile.’ (John Henry
Newman)
I’d always loved that hymn; when our
son died ,for me it took on extra
meaning. Chris and I believe profoundly
that the ‘distant scene’ is heaven; the
power and the wonder and the glory of
the love of God which Jesus
demonstrated on earth on Easter Day.
We believe that we will meet with him
again. But in the first dark days of grief
we used to speak of ‘baby steps’; just
taking one moment at a time with our
hand in God’s; and since then like John
Newman we too have known his
leading, his blessing and his power.
16
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
BOOKWORM
Local Christian book shops
A CLASSIC BOOK ISBN1580800467
The Cruel Sea is a 1951 novel by Nicholas
Monsarratt. It follows the lives of a group
of Royal Navy sailors fighting the Battle
of the Atlantic during the second World
War. The novel, based on the author's
experience of serving in corvettes in the
North Atlantic in World War II, gives a
matter-of-fact but moving portrayal of
ordinary men learning to fight and survive
in a violent, exhausting battle against the
elements and a ruthless enemy.
Few books have ever conveyed in such
gripping detail the brutal destruction of the
Battle of the Atlantic and the endurance of
the men who fought it. The novel brought
instant fame to its author.
The novel was made into a film in 1953.
It's very much a film of its time; the
propaganda element is heavy, the enemy
unseen for the vast majority of the time.
British stalwarts Jack Hawkins and Donald
Sinden put in strong performances.
It is interesting to see how a ship like a
corvette was operated and the battle scenes
are believably realistic. A masterpiece of
its time. The Cruel Sea is primarily a
memorial to the merchant mariners who
gave their lives in war.
I am not the only man of a certain age
addicted to the black and white war films
of the 1950s. Above all, we felt we had
fought the entire war with Jack Hawkins.
This was something of a misinterpretation,
for the record shows that Hawkins, born
100 years ago last year, actually only
starred in five films about the war. One of
those does not count, being The Bridge on
the River Kwai, which was made in colour.
17
Mustard Seed Christian Bookshop and
Coffee Shop
Old Boathouse
Hillier’s Yard
Marlborough
SN8 1BE
Tel: 01672 511611
Opening hours: 9-5 Mon- Sat
Calne Christian Bookshop
16 Phelps Parade
Calne
SN11 0HA
Tel: 01249 823265
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 9.45-1.30, Sat
10-12.30
Revelation Christian Resource Centre
1 River Street
Chippenham
SN15 3ED
Tel: 01249 463227
Opening hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri
9.30-5
Sat 10-2
Closed Wed
I must go down to the seas again, to the
lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a
tall ship and a star to steer her by …….
John Masefield
Have you a book or magazine you
have read that you would like to
review and share with us? email the
editor, articles up to 450 words. Ed.
Library
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Are you missing out on the Full Blessing that God wants you to Enjoy?
Jesus Christ died on the Cross that we
I don’t know about you, but I have one
might “have life, and have it to the full”
heck of a long way to go! For many years
(John 10:10). Do you sometimes feel that I wandered off the narrow path God had
you are missing out on that fullness of life set before me, and sometimes I became so
that Jesus promised? I know that for
battered by life’s experiences that I took a
much of my life I did and judging by the
rest. But God is gracious and he
letters that Paul wrote to the fledging
welcomes us back like the prodigal sons
churches in the first Century and even
and daughters we are. Are you in a dry
what Jesus Christ wrote by John to the
place at the moment? Do you long to be
Church at Ephesus (Revelation 2), I am
immersed in the river of life (Ezekiel 47)?
not alone.
If you do, then one way to discover the
We are all on a journey in our walk with
truth of how God longs to enter into an
God and whether we have been Christians even closer relationship with you is to
for 5 minutes or 50 years He has more of come along to the next Freedom in Christ
Himself to reveal to us than we can ever
Course which starts on 25th April. Just
imagine. God delights in us and calls us
read what some of the people who you
to walk so closely with Him that His love know in this Parish wrote about whether
transforms each one of us into the
they would recommend this course:
likeness of His precious Son, Jesus.
“I would definitely recommend it. I can't think of any reason why not. I hope
people can see the change in me and want some of what I've got!”
“There is something for everyone in this course as we all have
issues.”
“A lot of people may have issues that are covered by layers of life, which
means true freedom is not possible”
“It is an opportunity to develop in self-assurance and awareness of Gods’
love”
The next FIC Course will start on
Wednesday 25th April and will again be
hosted at St. Barnabas. There are 14
evening sessions which start at 7.30 p.m.
and last for two hours. Each session starts
with worship and is based round a DVD
presentation and supporting small group
discussions. The cost of the Course is £15
per head for the sessions, and £8 for the
participants course books, but please do
not be put off by the cost, bursaries are
available. Booking forms are available in
all churches, but for further details please
contact either me on 01225 793983 or
Revd. Helen Begley on 07540 314852.
Dougie Rowlinson
18
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
A Flood of God’s Grace
who are just going through the motions
Jesus told the woman at the well,
would find themselves invigorated with new
“Everyone who drinks this water will be energy. Those of us who are trying to move
thirsty again, but whoever drinks the
the barge in the mud would find ourselves
water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, jumping out of the way as we see how God
the water I give him will become in him a raises the boat. Are there vessels in our
spring of water welling up to eternal life.” particular dock (and we might name
John 4: 13&14.
ourselves among them) that God would like
It is so easy for our own lives to be dry to see floated, but we cannot ourselves stir
like dust, and our churches can suffer
them however hard we have tried? If the
from the same complaint. Jesus promises tide were to come in, we would see what we
to those parched with thirst, water like a and they are capable of – Active in
spring welling up to eternal life. I wonder Kingdom business, fervent, generous,
whether we can learn to drink this water. abounding in good words and deeds and
I wonder whether we can ask God to
empowered by God’s Spirit. Cry to God for
make us not just a satisfied believer who such a flood!
has drunk for herself or himself, but a
useful believer who overflows the
Oh that God might fill us with a flood of
neighbourhood with blessing.
grace and of his Spirit, and even that we
Where lives and churches are like
might go to church and find ourselves in a
parched ground and little dew ever falls flood, and then bring some home again with
on them, we need to cry to God that he us! How great it would be if out of us, his
would send us a deluge of water from the church, might flow rivers of living water!
spring that wells up to eternal life. If you Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him
go down to the river estuary, take a look come to me and drink, whoever believes in
at the boats and barges lying in the mud. me as the Scripture has said, streams of
A team of strong men could not drag
living water will flow from within him.”
them out from where they sit, dead and John 7: 37&38.
motionless in the river mud. Do we have Sylvia Beamish
an engineer among us who can work out
what machinery we need to lift a barge
and take it down to float it in the sea? It is
a task beyond us. Wait till the tide comes
in! Then what a change! Each of these
heavy boats then rides the water like a
thing alive.
There is such a difference between the
low tide and the high tide. When the
water is out, the boats are immoveable,
but when the tide is in a little child can
push them with her hand. Oh for such a
tide of God’s grace in Melksham!
Are our churches ready for a Springtide?
Such a great tide would wake up the
sleepy and have them skipping, and any
19
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
responsibility. All too easily prayer
becomes a way of justifying our actions
A couple of months ago I did an article
or inactions, or it becomes a shopping
for the Messenger about ‘Thin places’.
list of problems that we pass on to God
The editor semi linked the article to a
to resolve.
book by Roy Godwin called Grace
With
regard to the general situation at St
Outpouring. Grace Outpouring is a
Michaels,
to me God’s ‘will’ is already
mighty challenging book but just for the
quite clear. He wants us to start acting as
record I don’t like it much. To me the
Christians, with tolerance, understanding
book brought to mind C.S.Lewis’ ‘mad,
and respect for each other. And I hesitate
bad or true’ comment about Jesus.
Assuming the latter then Mr Godwin is a to say this but it’s true; we need to get
behind the leadership, even if we don’t
lucky man as he always seems to get
agree with everything, so we can move
clear and rapid answers to his prayers.
forward in a united way. Don’t get me
Time and again he prays for direction or
wrong prayer is obviously important but
healing and each time he receives a
it too easily becomes a way to side step
prompt and unambiguous answer. Oh
personal responsibility. We don’t need to
that we should all be so fortunate!
pray for God’s will to know what to do at
Linked to this is a sermon that Helen
St Michaels. Jesus has already shown us
Begley gave at St Michaels recently.
what God wants of us. We just have to
Helen spoke well with real conviction
put that teaching into effect and that
about something that had clearly been
alone will bring the healing we all want.
laid on her heart. She said there was a
Kevin Albone
lot of anger and frustration around St
Michaels, much of which had resulted
from some of the events of the last few
Noah’s Ark all you need to know
years. She then listed some of these
events. Her solution to this anger and
1 Don’t miss the boat .
these problems was quite simple. More
2 We are all in the same boat
prayer, more listening for God’s will.
3 Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when
But I sat there thinking that we, as a
Noah built the Ark.
church and parish, had prayed very hard
4 Stay fit. When you are 600 years old,
about these events and issues before and
someone may ask you to do something
during their occurrence but had still
really big.
ended up here, where we are today.
5 Don’t listen to critics just get on with
Let’s take the Post Office as one
the job that needs to be done.
example. I know there were people on
6 Build your future on high ground.
both ‘sides’ who were convinced it was
7 For safety's sake travel in pairs.
God’s will for us to have/not have the
8 Speed isn’t always an advantage. The
Post Office. Who’s right? Perhaps we
snails were on board with the cheetahs.
should have contacted Roy Godwin and
9 When you are stressed, float a while.
asked him! Personally I don’t think God
10 Remember the Ark was built by
had any ‘will’ for the PO project at all,
amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
for or against. God gave us powers of
reasoning and we should use them. It
was a matter for us to decide, it was our
Kevin Albone
20
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Tim Ayres tells a remarkable story of
an Evangelical Crusade he recently
undertook to Cartagena Colombia.
Part two the adventure continues :
If you missed part one in the March
edition you can read it on line at
www.melkshamteamministry.org.uk
But as is so often the case where upheaval,
tension and unrest have plagued a nation,
the Lord’s work thrives. Judy Maxwell, a
lady in my church, informed me that a
friend of hers Ray was kidnapped in 1995
by the FARC. Two and quarter years later
he was released, which was very unusual
but a direct answer to prayer. He is now
planning to go and visit these terrorists in
prison and 25 – 30 of them have become
Christians. They are hungry for spiritual
food. This to me is a beautiful illustration
of the line in Ephesians that says he led
captivity captive. I too would love to go
and minister to them some day.
These developments, I am sure, is due
largely to the amazing advance the church
is making in the county. As I mentioned
in previous updates, Colombia is ripe for
revival. Over the last ten years it has seen
an explosion of growth in numbers being
added and discipled which will in time
have a global impact. Indeed the largest
church with over 10,000 members started
as a home – group approximately 10 years
ago.
Now the trip. I spent 1 month in my
favourite city Medellin – the city of
eternal spring, and three weeks in Bogota.
Most days spent in ministry, with more
and more invites to teach and visit with
people as time progressed. With most of
the messages being recorded, Pastors and
friends are faithfully distributing them to
all and sundry with the result that invites
are coming from Cali, Cartagena and
beyond. I stayed in Carolina’s house
again; - her family making me feel so
welcome. She refers to her house as the
Zoo, and with two brothers and two sisters
along with their families and friends often
calling in, means there is never a dull
moment. Quite a challenge if you have
sermons, and meetings to prepare for.
However with a regular supply of tea and
coffee from her mother, it more than
compensates. Carolina told me that she
was the first to come to the Lord and
within a month the entire family had also
become Christians. With an extended
family of upward of thirty people that is
some pretty healthy evangelism.
Carolina was the operations manager of
the programme in Medellin. She was
excellent. Being a civil engineer by
profession, her organisational abilities
shone through which helped enormously
when planning and preparing. Through
her careful research she informed me that
we impacted more than 3,500 people
alone in Medellin, this included salvation,
healing, deliverance plus personal prayer
and prophecy into people’s lives. Plus of
course the teaching, which I believe is
helping a little to prepare the church for
the coming move of God. I was amazed
and praise the Lord for His incredible
favour. With the availability of T.V .and
Radio, who knows how many more lives
have been touched.. Part three in May
21
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
THE HERMITAGE ENSEMBLE
In Concert
Tuesday 8th May 2012 at 8pm
Venue:- St Andrews Church,
Church Lane, Melksham
The HERMITAGE ENSEMBLE of St
Petersburg, Russia presents:
‘From Russia With Love’ five male
singers with liturgical music written
within the last 300
years as well as folk
songs which will display a range of
emotions. These men are chosen from
amongst the finest soloists performing in
St Petersburg’s opera, musical theatre and
churches, and whose voices will bring a
tingle to your spin as they sing to us.
HYMN STORY:
“Nearer my God to Thee” has already
been mentioned in this issue is associated
with the RMS Titanic. A 19th century
hymn based loosely on Genesis 28:11–
19, the story of Jacobs dream.
The verse was written by the English poet
and hymn writer Sarah Flower Adams. It
was first set to music by Adams's sister,
the composer Eliza Flower.
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;
Still all my song shall be nearer, my
God, to Thee,
Another tale, surrounding the death of
If you enjoy male voice singers, classical President William McKinley in September
church music or even songs of the people, 1901, quotes his dying words as being the
this is an event you do not want to miss. first few lines of the hymn..
Tickets in advance £9.00 (concession rate
£7-50) - £10 on the door.
Funds raised to be for the Ensemble and
St Andrews Church. Contact :
Chris Pickett (01225)-920400
e-mail : [email protected]
JOEY PEREZ
AT ST BARNABAS see page 25
A presenter speaking shortly before the
launch of CNN, promised that, barring
technical problems, "We won't be signing
off until the world ends. We'll be on, air
and we will cover the end of the world,
live, and that will be our last event.... and
when the end of the world comes, we'll
play 'Nearer My God to Thee' before we
sign off." Source Wikipedia.
Joey will also be speaking at the
MENUNITED breakfast in Trowbridge
on Saturday 21st April at the Food
Factory, Airsprung Beds, Canal Road,
Trowbridge, BA14 8RQ.
Are you making
the most of your computer?
Tickets for this “not-to-be-missed” event
will be available in early March from
Bill Stubbs on 01225 781538.
Tickets will be £6. Joey has written two
books, both of which can be purchased
before his arrival and at the seminar.
I Lived to Tell About It is £12, and
Mysteries of Angels is £10. To buy
them now, please use the contact detail.
Computer Tutor
One to one help on your machine
22
Stephen White
69 Murhill Limply Stoke
01225 722429
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
St Georges day lets celebrate
The Irish put shamrocks somewhere, the
Welsh do something with leeks, the Scots
chat to a lump of animal innards. What
do the English do - not a lot until
now!
On Monday April 23rd there will be a
Wiltshire Celebration of St George's Day
at St Barnabas. Menu includes faggots,
peas and mash followed by bread pud and
custard, washed down with (bring your
own) cider. No funny foreign drinks
allowed, so that rules out most wines and
definitely no whisky. Vegetarian option
and soft drinks will be available. Expect
the unexpected, be prepared for a good
laugh and a bit of a sing song......…
- definitely not very serious, probably
rather silly.
The evening will commence with English
Country Music and dinner will be
followed by Flag Waving Songs , not
certain at this stage if the Beanacre.
Morris People (can't call them men as
that's not PC) will be in attendance at the
start for the traditional Wiltshire welcome
to the feasting -
Anticipated timings are 7 for 7.30pm,
finish by 9.30pm Admission will be by
ticket as space is limited. Tickets from
Stanford Cole phone 702393.
Having said that:
Wiltshire based wine growers a'Beckett's
Vineyard recently won Wessex Wine of
the Year for their Estate Reserve 2005
Red. This only underlines the quality of
the wine. I understand the wine is
available at some Waitrose. ed.
Interesting
Despite the fact that St. George has
been the patron saint of England since
t.the 14th century, only one in five
people know that St. George’s Day falls
on 23 April.
More than a quarter of people living in
England do not even know who their
patron saint is! Shakespeare was born
on 23 April 1564 and he died on the
same day in 1616.
Not only is there no evidence that St.
George ever slayed a dragon (which
seems unlikely), there's very little
evidence he ever existed at all.
St. George is also considered a martyr
in Islam.
GOMPELS
Scooters • Wheelchairs
Rise & Recline Chairs
Everyday Living
Pressure Relief
Shoes & Slippers
Walking Aids
Incontinence Care
Stairlifts • Bathing Aids
1 Bank Street, Melksham Telephone 01225
23
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
NEW WINE
EASTER ODDITIES
·
80 million chocolate Easter Eggs
are sold each year – that’s 10% of
Britain’s annual spending on chocolate.
·
After fasting 40 days for Lent there
was always a surplus of eggs which
families used to celebrate Easter – stored
properly, eggs can last over 6 months!
·
Medieval Easter Eggs were boiled
with onions to give them a gold sheen.
Edward I, didn’t need to use onions; in
1290 he ordered that 450 eggs be gold
leafed and coloured for Easter gifts.
·
The first chocolate Easter Eggs
were made in Victorian times soon after
the creation of edible chocolate. Before
this, friends would give hollow
cardboard eggs, filled with gifts.
Ÿ
Easter is called a moveable feast
because the date of Easter changes every
year. Easter Sunday can fall on any date
from 22 March to 25 April. Easter day
2013 will be on the 31st of March .
Ÿ
In medieval times, a festival of egg
throwing was held in church, during
which the priest would throw a hardboiled egg to one of the choirboys. It was
then tossed from one choirboy to the next
and whoever held the egg when the clock
struck 12 was the winner and retained the
egg.
The wearing of an Easter Bonnet
represented the tail-end of a tradition of
wearing new clothes at Easter in harmony
with the renewal of the year and the
promise of spiritual renewal and
redemption.
.
In Samuel Pepys’ diary, 30 March
(Easter Day) 1662, he notes. ‘Having my
old black suit new furbished, I was pretty
neat in clothes to-day, and my boy, his old
suit new trimmed, very handsome’.
CENTRAL & SOUTH WEST
Sunday 29 July - Saturday
4 August
at Royal Bath & West
Showground, Shepton Mallet
We are planning a team trip to
New Wine this summer.
This is a fantastic opportunity to
get to know other people from the
team.
If you are interested in knowing
more about how you can be part of
it all, contact either Natasha or Ben
for more information.
Natasha – 07545 049149 or
[email protected]
Ben – 07824 807 107 or
[email protected]
24
Comes highly recommended Ed.
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
News from St Andrew’s Church
St Andrew’s Church: - We celebrated a
few birthdays last month; we wished Pam,
Romaine, Margaret and Donna a very
happy birthday and lots of love from us all.
Amongst other services, the service on the
19th Feb was based on “The
Transfiguration” (Mark 9).• Annie spoke to
us about The Transfiguration and about our
need to be ‘re-dazzled’ by Jesus to equip us
for mission.• Then, as part of the call to
mission we were invited to think about
places and situations in the world where we
long to see God at work, and to offer our
thoughts as ‘prayer leaves’ for our Prayer
Tree.
Sunday Club: - The Sunday Club children
had their first presentation. It was based on
the theme “The Lost Sheep”. The children
had been busy making sheep and wolf
masks. The children walked up the aisle
wearing the sheep masks and making some
wonderful sheep noises on the way. The
story was acted out by the children with
great enthusiasm .The children finished by
singing “Jesus Love” with some fun actions
to go along.
St Andrew’s Hall: - There have been two
events held at the hall. The first being the
Pancake Party on Tuesday 21st February.
This was very well attended with approx
50 people. We raised a wonderful £120.00
which will go towards the church funds.
Then there was the annual Senior Citizens
Party, a very pleasant afternoon was had by
all (approx 22). Some of the choir from
Forest & Sandridge School came along and
entertained us all with some fabulous
singing, even one in Latin!!!
St Andrew’s would like to thank all those
involved in helping to organise these
events, which are greatly received.
Donna Woodbridge
JOEY PEREZ: Tuesday-Thursday, April 17th-19th at 7:30pm St. Barnabas’ Church,
Beanacre A reminder that it’s time to register (by 15th April at the latest) for this
three-part seminar on evangelism – seating is limited. Joey Perez will be teaching
from his personal experience of 30 years of reaching out to people from every
background with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There will be no charge for the seminar,
but there will be an offering to help cover the cost of the materials and to bless Joey
Perez. You may still attend if you are unable to be there for every session.
To register, please contact [email protected] or telephone John Firth,
01225 707387.
Joey has a dramatic and inspiring story to tell. Even if you are not planning to be at
the seminar, please consider sponsoring books (£10 each) for Joey to distribute at the
youth outreaches he will be conducting at The Pulse in Trowbridge and in King
George V Park in Melksham. We occasionally see young people who met Joey on
his first visit to the area more than five years ago, and they still talk about his book
and how it impacted them. Joey has written two books, both of which can be
purchased before his arrival and at the seminar. Find out more about Joey Perez’s
work at http://www.worldevangmin.com
see also page 22
25
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Anniversary of the Titanic - 1912 - 2012
This year marks the 100th Anniverary of
the ocean liner Titanic sinking. There
has been much written over the years so
please allow us to simply summarise for
those not to familiar with what
happened. She set sail from
Southampton to New York but on the
14th April 1912 at 11.40 pm disaster
struck - she hit an iceberg and water
started to pour in! No help was able to
reach them in time and it took only two
and a half hours for the ship to sink.
Some passengers managed to survive in
lifeboats but many others perished. They
died trying to swim in ice cold water.
The band was said to have played on till
the end including the
hymn ‘Nearer, my
God, to Thee’. This
was used at the
Memorial Service
April 21st 1912 at
3.30pm held in St
Michael’s church
Melksham. Many
whenever they hear
this hymn are immediately reminded by
that terrible event.
The Goodwin family: Frederick,
Augusta, Lilian, Charles, William,
Jessie, Harrold, and baby Sidney from
Melksham were sadly among those that
lost their lives. Little Sidney’s shoes
were found and an unknown grave is
now identified as being his brings little
comfort.
There is a memorial plaque and an old
photograph in St Michael’s to the left as
you enter on one of the pillars.
Ten years ago St Michael’s held a special
90th Anniversary Songs of Praise.
Back in October 2009 the Historical
Society gave a slide show called The loss
of the Titanic presented by Lt.
Commander Geoffrey Carr, RN. It delved
into many of the stories and myths about
what happened. Apparently it was never
actually said that the ship was unsinkable.
Keep a lookout for
opportunities for further
lectures on the Titanic
which take place from
time to time. Look out
for special services that
are likely to be held.
Let us offer our prayers
for the souls of the
Goodwin family and all
those who died on that fateful day. “Who
have now passed through the waters”
words taken from the 1912 Memorial
Service. Also calling to mind all the
many others who have tragically died,
past or present at sea.
Yours in Christ Lorraine and Alun.
26
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
Baptisms
Weddings
Soleil - Fleur Mauree
St Michael’s 4th March
Richard John Mullet Claire Louise Williams
St Michael’s 3rd March
Charlie & Casey Sidwick
St Michael’s 18th March
Funerals
Delbert Keen St Andrews
Vera Ivy Elizabeth Baker
1st March
St Barnabas 13th March
Finally: Its a bit like painting the Forth Bridge, can describe a job that is never
ending. The term is applied to a number of the worlds largest bridges. Essentially the
painters start at one side of the bridge and over a number of years make their way to
the other side until they have completed the project . Then its necessary to start
painting all over again. The reality is the painting of bridges require that specific
areas require more attention than others. I was pleased to hear the painting of the
Forth Bridge has finally been completed and the structure is now scaffold-free for the
first time in a decade. It is claimed the bridge will not now need to be painted for at
least 25 years. New techniques and products are behind the project's success.
While the church is not the Forth Bridge specific areas require more attention than
others and need to be addressed. The reality is to interpret what is being said and
discuss areas that need to be unpacked . Sometimes there is more than one view on a
given subject. That is why its good to be part of a house group.
In our groups this Lent we have completed a course on stewardship some of which is
open to interpretation. The study challenged all of us as we approached how we
should understand giving and discuss together what the bible has to say.
Happy Easter.
Ed.
QUALIFIED CARER HAS
VACANCIES FOR
DOMESTIC AND
PERSONAL CARE
FORGET ME NOT
Gardening
Complete garden maintenance
supplied by a
CRB checked references supplied
professional gardener.
Call Jessica on 01225 700531 or
07896 627428
Please contact Sian 07523023945
or email: [email protected]
27
MESSENGER APRIL 2012
MELKSHAM TEAM MINISTRY
DIOCESE OF SALISBURY
Team Staff
Reverend Andrew Evans, Team Rector
e mail: [email protected])
Reverend John Darling, Associate Priest
email: [email protected]
Reverend John Lefroy, retired priest
(e mail: [email protected])
Reverend Annie Wintour, Associate Priest
(e mail: [email protected])
Reverend Helen Begley
(e mail: [email protected])
Natasha Friett – Children & Families Worker
(e mail: [email protected])
01225 782289
(Day off Friday)
01225 777803/762864(shop)
(Day off Wednesday)
01225 704012
01380 850880
(Days off Monday & Thursday)
01225 782649
07545049149
Lay Ministers
Mike Lloyd (email:[email protected] )
Pam Muller
01225 706503
01225 707804
Lay Pastoral Assistants
Janet Hollerhead 01225 708216 Ruth Cole 01225 702393 Clare Lloyd 01225 706503
Freda Meggs 01225 705070 Roger Scull 01225 353023 Susan Taylor 01225 704515
Margaret Inchley 01225 702801 Annette Hucknall 01225 791977 Carol Head 01225
704907 Linda Maslen 01225 708142 Jane Goman 01380 827121
Sheila Rowlinson 01225 793983 Anita Naulty 01225 706384 Joy Albone 01225
709489
Church Wardens
St Michael's
Peter Maslen 01225 708142
Trevor Lawes 01225 703719
St Barnabas
Stanford Cole 01225 702393
Chris Holmes 01225 938925
St Andrew's
Chris Pickett 01225 920400
Nick Manvell 01225 703177
Baptism Contact
Carol Head 01225 704907
Wedding Contact
Joy Albone 01225 709489
or Confirmation, and Prayer and Dedication Service after a Registry Office Wedding,
Funerals or Crematorium Services please contact one of the Team Staff.
Church – Hall Contacts and Bookings
St Andrew's: Pam Doddington 01225 356244 Chris Pickett(church) 01225 920400
St Barnabas: Shirley Allister
01225 702002
St Michael's: Lesley Windebank
01225 790639
St Michael’s bellringers : Tricia Hoy 01225 704805
Magazine editor: Barry Scarlett 01225 702053 ([email protected])
For Parish administrative matters contact Annette Hucknall: 01225 791977 or
07907481999 e-mail: [email protected]
www.melkshamteamministry.org.uk
28
BRUNEL
MANOR ITS
TIME TO BOOK
YOUR PLACE
MAY 4th - 6th
leaflets in all the
churches
IN THE MAY ISSUE:
Melksham Convention revisited. Read about
its amazing history. In 1934 the congregation
numbered well over fourteen hundred at one
of the services.
Deadline for the May Issue
Sunday April 8th
[email protected]
Our Town - Canon Square
Leaving Church Street you enter Canon
Square. The buildings belong to a much
older era including the Tourist Information
Centre housed in an old grain merchants
store. On the south side of the Square there
are sited clothiers houses dating from
Melksham’s days of prosperity in the early
18th century. Opposite is Canon House, part
sixteenth and part eighteenth century, now
fronting a new development of houses and
flats appropriately called Canon Court.
Beyond the war memorial is a very large
house formerly the old Rectory.
Vintage Classics
Classic Wedding Cars for the
discerning Bride and Groom.
Surround your day with
For all your dry cleaning and
laundry needs
Visit our branch at
28a High Street Melksham
phone 01225 704013
or visit our website
regencylaundry.co.uk
The war memorial and old rectory
To the left of the old Rectory there was a
building attached to the church room. It was
used by St Michael’s school as a classroom.
Vintage Classics
Classic Wedding Cars for the
discerning Bride and Groom.
Surround your day with
romance and elegance with
cars from the 1960’s – 1980’s
Uniformed Chauffeur or self drive.
Tel 01225 703377
www.vintage-classics.co.uk
[email protected]