View - Beverley Minster
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View - Beverley Minster
BEVERLEY MINSTER M AG A Z I N E APRIL 2015 | £1.00 The Parish Magazine of Beverley Minster, All Saints’ Routh, St Paul’s Tickton, St Leonard’s Molescroft and St Peter’s Woodmansey THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH The account in St. Mark’s Gospel is very vivid. The priests brought Jesus for trial before Pilate. The crowd had followed and filled the courtyard. Pilate realised that Jesus was innocent of any crime and offered to release him, but the priests had stirred up their followers to shout for Barabbas. When Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus, they shouted even louder: ‘Crucify Him!’ There must have been many in that courtyard who would have liked to see Jesus released but who were too afraid to make their voices heard. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Dorothy B. Hailstone THE VIC AR’S EDITORIAL J E R E M Y F L E TC H E R Welcome to the APRIL edition of the Minster Magazine. The cover photo is of Gareth and Rachael at their wedding - see article below. Jeremy’s letter now appears as ‘The Vicar’s Blog’ on our website and it is also available electronically for those who receive our free eNewsletter. Contributors this month are: Sally George, Lorna Jones, Emily Hoe, Jeremy Fletcher, Marjorie Neaum, Steve Rial, Paul Hawkins, Barbara Gilman, Jeannie McMillan, Dorothy B. Hailstone, Gareth Atha. Contributions for the next edition to: [email protected] The Magazine Editorial Team have been heartened by the response for more content - in the form of words and pictures. Please keep it coming so that the Maga zine in paper form can have a sustainable future. THE LOVELIEST OF WEDDINGS On Monday 16 February I went to watch the wedding of Gareth, our curate and the lovely Rachael. The Minster was full when I arrived, but I managed to get a seat. What a beautiful dress the bride was wearing with an exquisite flared skirt. Their married life certainly started off in style as we sang ‘O for a thousand tongues’. There were not a thousand singing but it sounded like it. We were all served by clergy, Revd Peter Nelson introduced the ceremony and married them, Revd David Everett presided at the Holy Communion. (Revd Everett was from Market Weighton as were many of the guests.) The sermon was preached by Revd John Allison and Revd Jeremy Fletcher led our prayers. A choir from Market Weighton sang beautifully during the signing of the Registers. We sang ‘Happy the Home’ and as we sang it I thought how sure I was that theirs would be a happy home. The final hymn was ‘Love Divine’ and the singing was as beautiful as any Welsh rendition that I have heard. You will probably be reading this after April 5, Easter Sunday, and I’m writing it in March, in the depths of Lent. The seasons of the year are such a vital part of our lives, and the seasons of the Church’s year play their part in helping us learn more about our faith and the God who loves us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. As I write I’m gearing up for the spiritual challenge of Holy Week, and am focussing on God’s supreme love for us in Jesus Christ’s suffering and death. I’m getting ready for the Passion Gospel on Palm Sunday, and the long recitation of the last hours of Jesus’s life, and preparing too for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday with their themes of betrayal, guilt, failure and sacrifice. But you’ll be reading this as the church is filled with daffodils and lilies, and the good news of God raising Jesus from the dead will be on your lips, with Easter Eggs to the fore. The changing of the seasons and the different themes they carry are a key part of the way the church calendar teaches us and helps us to pray. I wouldn’t ordinarily want to focus on betrayal and injustice, but the events of Holy Week require me to do so, and that then enables me to recognise those themes in contemporary life. As Christians we are required to seek out injustice and unfairness, and the story of Holy Week is a profound reminder. So too is the Easter story, and our requirement to rejoice with those who rejoice, to declare that God’s new life is greater than all the powers which would try to destroy. Both themes are essential to our Christian journey, and I hope you valued the Holy Week journey and are now luxuriating in the Easter good news. Minster School Change and the seasons are a theme of my pictures this time. Our new chairs have arrived, and have instantly brightened the Minster. A Lorna Jones Part of a host of golden daffodils, prepared by Year 1 for Mother’s Day FLOODLIGHTING THE MINSTER - SPONSORS IN APRIL (taken from the Minster website) Mrs Cooper Mrs A Roper Mrs B Dickinson P & K Horrocks P Sharp Miss K Holgate Mrs R Willoughby Dr C Rhodes The Best Family Mrs V Warner Mrs J Kirby 12th M.V Harrison 13th Mr & Mrs J Carling 14th Mr D Jack 15th Mr S Tait 16th Mrs J Chetwynd 17th H & N Uebel 18th J & M Ashurst 19th Yorkshire Country Womens’ Association 20th J & M Westoby Beverley Minster Magazine/2 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th new road has been built, and though we were not consulted about the name it is a privilege to know that a road with such good views of the Minster is called ‘Minster Way’. The eclipse was a stunning event, and I was amazed to see I had photographed a bird as it was happening, flying towards the Minster. The rather futuristic machine is a drone which was used to film the Minster from the air: I hope some of the shots will be available to us soon. The film is for the promotion of the Tour de Yorkshire, which will come right past the Minster on May 2. And the young person in the castle is enjoying our latest Gruffalo event: around 200 other joined them in a fantastic and creative morning. Every blessing for the Easter season All the service was incredible, but the thing that made it memorable for me was the radiant smile on Gareth’s face as he walked down the aisle. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th PAGE Yorkshire Electricity Yorkshire Electricity Yorkshire Electricity Yorkshire Electricity Yorkshire Electricity Yorkshire Electricity Mrs M Cruikshank Miss B Webb FREE I.R & H.S Usher Beverley Minster Magazine/3 Jeremy ON TH E P L A N E TO M A D E I RA When she started a second Alpha course that Deena recalled more of her college chapel experiences and as she learned more about the nature of God, she realised that despite a lot of personal difficulties throughout her life, He had been beside her all the time. Opportunities had presented themselves to her which she would never have sought for herself. In particular, when - due to local government reorganisation -she was made redundant from her Youth Tutor post after twenty-two years in the Youth Service, at the end of her career, she found supply teaching in some of Hull’s more challenging schools, work with adults with special needs and lastly, a teaching post with children with profound and multiple learning difficulties. D E E N A ’ S S T O RY Halfway into that Alpha course however came the ultimate test: Deena’s daughter Helga took her own life. Aged just 34, worn down by more than five years of terrible back pain and ineffective surgery, life had become intolerable for her, her job as a dentist extremely difficult to sustain and she had suffered severe depression. As Helga’s tragic death slowly sank in, Deena felt as if she were a flower bud on a long stalk, waving to and fro in the wind, very vulnerable, but being held at the same time, as though God’s hands were the sepals. “We pray almost daily that in sharing your testimony with others, it will one day be instrumental in bringing someone to a new found faith in Christ.” This prayer convinced Deena Sharples that she should tell her story: It was summer 2003 when Deena and three friends boarded the plane for their holiday in Madeira. The seats were in rows of three. Deena said she didn’t mind sitting on her own and made herself comfortable next to an elderly couple, who turned out to be very friendly and introduced themselves: Edmund and Edna, “two Eds are better than one.” They got chatting during the flight and, because they both seemed so kind, Deena found herself telling them about her daughter Helga, who was in constant pain after sustaining a broken back in an accident. But not wishing to make too much of her own concerns, Deena used the phrase – loosely -‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ Edmund inquired gently if she knew God, which rather flummoxed her, as she had never really thought about God much. He and Edna told her they were both Christians; this provoked a lot more conversation and a lot of questions. They asked if she would like a little book which might help her to understand better and Deena said she would: she was drawn by something special in this couple’s manner. They exchanged names and addresses and said their goodbyes as she and her friends set off, barely giving the encounter a second thought. However on arriving home, there amongst the post, as promised, was a packet from the ‘two Eds’ - a copy of ‘Who is Jesus?’ She read it from cover to cover. The logo on the book Deena recognised from a banner hanging on railings round Beverley Minster’s east end advertising the Alpha course. She rang up to enquire about it and subsequently met the curate, Helen Bennett, who encouraged her to go along, even though the course was half way through. It was a revelation to her, both the course content and the kindness of the others in her group, whose level of support as she shared her deepest concerns took her by surprise. Deena had only recently moved and taken on a new job teaching autistic children in a special school. She had quickly got to know her mostly elderly new neighbours, helping any as needs arose. This was second nature: helping others had always been a way of life, ingrained since earliest childhood, as her parents – a Jew and a Christian, and a doctor and nurse respectively - practised their faith only through social action. Neither of them ever went to church or synagogue or even talked about religion at home (although, unknown to Deena, many years later her father did become a Christian and both of them started going to church). They worked tirelessly in their jobs and off duty, with needy people in their neighbourhood and with the WRVS, a Darby and Joan Club and Guide Dogs for the Blind, involving their two daughters in everything. Once the family looked after a blind baby and on another occasion took in a pet parrot whose owner had to go to hospital. He provided a lot of amusement, especially as he would only eat Bird’s Angel Delight and chips, resolutely refusing the parrot seed which Deena’s mother bought. Home, in Hessle, was loving and happy. Deena’s father loved to tell Beverley Minster Magazine/4 jokes. After his death she discovered rather poignantly a book of jokes which he had written. They had no contact with Deena’s maternal Anglican grandparents, who had cut their daughter off when she married a Jewish man. They saw only a little of his family as well: Deena especially loved her big-hearted, matriarchal granny and her aunts. At school, Deena - blessed with a great sense of fun and much less interest in academic work -was rather rebellious, having to play second fiddle to her high-achieving sister. She found religious education lessons particularly difficult, as she was often picked on because of her tenuous link with Judaism. It was preferable to play up and be sent out into the corridor rather than be the butt of the teacher’s awkward questions.Yet when Deena went to do her teacher training at York St. John College, she enjoyed it and student life so much that she was drawn to attend chapel every morning to thank God for being there. It suddenly seemed the right thing to do and led ultimately to baptism and confirmation, prior to her getting married to a fellow student. Sadly, the marriage did not last and broke up when Deena was pregnant with her second child, a son Ben. The demands of life as a single parent and a full time job as a Youth Tutor were endless. With few childminding facilities available, kind neighbours often stepped in. Deena used to wonder how she could ever pay them back for their help. One, a lady called Dorothy, became Helga’s godmother and her assurance that one day Deena would be able to pay back by helping others has been something Deena always remembered. Her parents were supportive, but they were busy and she did not like to ask them; she tried to protect them from her pain. It was one year later when she completed a full Alpha course and became a Christian. Her life was totally turned around and her new relationship with God gave her immense comfort and strength, as did also the Minster family. There had been a time when Deena thought a ‘church family’ sounded rather ‘corny’, but since joining one, she knows it is a vital means of supporting one another, practically and spiritually. For the last four years, as many in the Minster will know, Deena has been a churchwarden. For her, it’s another God-given opportunity to serve and grow in faith: a position which she regards as a privilege and which has given rise to countless pastoral situations. One of these is ‘Food and Fellowship’, born out of a Monday morning prayer time in St. Katharine’s chapel three years ago, and which offers people who live on their own a regular time to meet and share a meal together. Being single has not got Deena down. With her positive outlook, love of travelling and lively sense of humour, she has very good friends, both Christians and non- Christians (who no longer comment on the Songs of Praise CD playing loudly on repeat during trips out in her car -her sister has even bought a copy!) To Deena, words of hymns are often inspirational. She finds the most meaningful are: ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways’. Amazed and grateful, she knows the extent of God’s forgiveness in her life, and truly feels ‘reclothed in her rightful mind’, free to serve God with ‘a purer life, and in deeper reverence, praise.’ When Deena gave her life to God, some of the first people she wanted to tell were the ‘two Eds’, acknowledging their chance meeting as the most significant of her God-given opportunities. Frustratingly, it took two years of searching for their address in her new house, but she did find it and wrote to them straightaway. As soon as Edmund received her letter, he rang to share his and Edna’s joy. They kept in touch and Deena eventually managed to visit them last year. It was a very emotional reunion. A little while afterwards, Deena received an Easter card written in beautiful copperplate script. It began: “Hope you are keeping well and still enjoying your faith and trust in Jesus, together with your Christian duties and fellowship at the Minster.” The prayer which begins this story followed and the card was signed, TO MAKE YOU THINK WILL OUR PETS BE WITH US I N H E AV E N ? This is not a frivolous question. If a person is isolated and lonely, to lose a beloved pet can be a bereavement – quite literally. They may worry desperately about who will care for their pet if they die first. Elderly people who have a pet for company tend to recover more quickly from illness or trauma than those who do not. People’s attachment to their pets is something that as Christians we need to take very seriously. Is there anything wrong with loving an animal as deeply as one might love another human being? Should it be regarded as an undesirable neurosis? If so, why? Is such a reaction any more than an irrational gut feeling? Moreover, the issue raises important questions as to the role of the animal kingdom in God’s creation. The Apostle Paul stresses that God’s ultimate aim is the redemption of all creation, not just human beings. What are the implications of this for the afterlife? In the book of Revelation heaven would appear to be quite heavily populated with animals – though admittedly not the sort you would want to take for a walk on a Sunday afternoon. Yet some Christians have a curious reluctance to envisage any living presence in heaven other than the Trinity, angelic beings and a multitude of disembodied ex-humans (will we know one another?) When I suggested to a Christian friend that animals might have a place in heaven, she looked surprised and said “But animals don’t have souls!” as if that settled the matter. My instinct was to ask her what exactly she thought a soul was, and why she was so convinced that you needed one in order to qualify for heaven. I doubt I would have got a satisfactory answer to either question. The whole issue is complex. To complicate it further, I’ll throw in the fact that in the Genesis story the killing and eating of animals by humans only occurs after the Fall and the expulsion from Eden. In the Garden, Adam and Eve were given the plants to eat. (In fact, human dentition is strongly suggestive of a vegetarian diet.) However, we are not discussing vegetarianism here, but the relationship between humans, animals and the Creator. Any thoughts? “With fond memories of our meeting on the plane to Madeira and … all our love... E&E.” MN Beverley Minster Magazine/5 Barbara Gilman A P R I L I N PA R I S and saying in a knowing manner, “That means quickly”! or, ‘Allo, Allo’! “I love Paris in the Springtime”. A sentiment I share. What could be more romantic than a walk in the Tuileries Gardens under the blossom, with the companion of your dreams? There was one visit I made in the spring of 1971 which exceeded all my wildest expectations. My ‘companions’ were thirty school children and several brave staff. The children, aged 9 - 13 years, were drawn from a social priority school in a particularly under-privileged area. The children were taught French from nine years old and, previous to the visit, we had held a ‘French Week’. It was great fun. I had a replica Madame la Guillotine over my classroom door. A colleague supplied me with a basket and numerous papier mâché heads. The children were imbued with revolutionary fervour and could not wait to set foot on French soil. And so it was that we set off from Luton Airport bound for Le Bourget. “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven” (Wordsworth: Prelude) Everything began to go slightly ‘pear-shaped’ on the flight. None of the party had flown before; many were sick and all the girls screamed! The adults were relieved to see the lights of the runway. The children immediately forgot their panic attacks and excitement set in. As they left the aircraft they asked, “Are we really in France?” Passing through ‘Arrivals’ and seeing lots of French words confirmed that we were! Our buoyant mood was soon blighted by Passport Control where French officials questioned our block passport. After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally boarded our coach, very late indeed. The driver hurried the children, saying, “Vite. vite!” I remember a boy turning to me We had a nightmare journey through Parisien traffic in the early hours of the morning to reach our accommodation in Montmartre. The little hotel stood in the corner of a cobbled square. There was a fountain close by. To our dismay, all was locked and barred and in darkness. One of our male colleagues hammered on the door and, eventually, lights appeared, the door opened and the concièrge stepped out in curlers and dressing gown! The children, seeing a woman who looked a lot like their grannies, were reassured. She, however, remonstrated with us for our lateness, and the ‘granny’ image rapidly became Madame la Guillotine! Fortunately, one of our male colleagues had about his person a bottle of red wine (which he had been keeping for later!) The peace offering had the desired effect and we were ushered in - “You must use the back passage” the concièrge whispered, “so as not to disturb my other guests”! Despite the lateness of the hour, the children went exploring, up windy stairs, in and out of cupboard-like loos and, finally, their rooms. All the rooms had french windows onto little iron balconies. Immediately children crowded onto them (not much health and safety at that time!), their faces lit up with great joy. I can still remember how that first introduction to another world began to transform the poor and abused into a ‘new creation’. The rooms were basic but en-suite so showers had to be ‘tried’, bidets experimented with - “You wash your hands in it”, one girl explained. When we finally retired for the night the older female colleague I was sharing with produced a tub of DDT powder, and proceeded to shake it around the perimeter of the room. “Just in case”, she said. “Look in your bed”, she continued, “and under it”! Having conducted this ritual, I got into bed, hoping for some sleep. But no ---- my colleague was sitting up, hairnet on, fiddling with some plastic bags. She was a vegetarian and had brought ‘supplies’ which she then offered to me: raisins, nuts, apple and - - you’ve guessed it - - wet celery! The following morning we awoke to hear a strange warbling sound. At first, I thought it was a fire alarm, but it seemed to be coming from the open window. I hurried over to it and looked out, down onto an interior courtyard. The lady of the house was busy doing her washing in an old tub. She was singing! It wasn’t a song that either of us recognised. At that moment, a terrible scream came from the direction of the girls’ room. “The barricades have gone up!” I said to my colleague, and we rushed as one man to the door. We were greeted by a flock of females, all about their ‘toilette’ and shouting:- “Miss, Miss, there’s a lad on our balcony!” Sure enough, there was a boy with his nose pressed up against the glass. He had climbed down from the balcony above and was intent on viewing our ladies. It turned out to be the fourteen year-old son of the house. He was cheeky and mature (in a continental sort of way!) I gave him ‘short shrift’ and he returned from whence he came. I then turned to the girls who were still fussing. One girl pointed to her friend and said:- “She had nowt on, Miss, nowt!” I looked at them seriously and replied “These things happen in Paris” (!). I could see that despite their apparent shock, they were not a little flattered by the attention and were even more intent on making themselves look ‘delectable’ just in case the young man appeared again. I think it was about then that I started to feel that our visit could have the makings of a French farce! At breakfast, tables were laid out with checked cloths, hot croissants, fruit, earthenware bowls and coffee. We had rules that only French was to be spoken at mealtimes unless there was an emergency. The children were amazed at the bowls and at first, tried to drink coffee with their spoons. We pointed out that you drank directly from the bowl, however bad-mannered it might appear. It was a treat to see them eating, drinking and chatting in fairly limited French, but all the time growing in confidence, because of the environment they were in. I could not believe that they were the same sad, deprived, rather fearful young people we had brought out of a run-down slum-clearance area. We had a whacky and wonderful time and enjoyed fabulous spring sunshine. We packed every conceivable ‘sight’ into that week. We boarded the Bateau Mouche to go around the Isle de la Cité and Notre Dame; headed to the top of the Tour Eiffel; climbed the steps to Sacre Coeur de Montmartre; made friends with artists; took a train to Versailles; walked down the Champs Elysées eating icecream and crêpes with jam! We watched our party blossom into confident, French-speaking human beings. Good food, sleep, fresh air and, of course, Paris with its brilliant, vibrant sense of freedom worked that miracle. On the day before we were due to leave, our menfolk decided they would go to fetch the packed lunches from the restaurant nearby. They took a very large oblong box to put the food in. There was a certain amount of sniggering between them and I felt something was afoot. Sure enough, as we stood waiting at the front of the hotel, a strange procession suddenly appeared heading from the restaurant. Having collected the lunches, the men had donned bérets, and were carrying the box coffin-like on their shoulders! Old ladies crossed themselves and men took off their hats! When they arrived, they solemnly put the box down and saluted it. Needless to say, there was uproar amongst the rest of us. It was good to see the children almost cry with laughing and to enjoy that hilarious moment. It was part of the whole French experience. So, if I happen to see an old episode of ‘Allo, Allo’ and hear the words:“Listen very carefully. I will say this only once”, I recall our crazy encounter with the City of Light! Jeannie McMillan Beverley Minster Magazine/6 Beverley Minster Magazine/7 T H E L AW O F T H E L A N D Moses said to the people: Keep these words…recite them to your children…talk about them at home. to get the law ‘inside them’, as one modern translation puts it. Most people are keen to be outside, not inside, I guess. It struck me a while ago that I had got into my sixth decade without seeing a court of law in session. Indeed the nearest I’d got to the formal workings of the law was accompanying Julia, to whom I’m married, as she qualified as a solicitor and we did the thing at the Law Society. While it may give you some comfort that the Vicar of the Minster has therefore never been the subject of criminal proceedings, it was disturbing to me that I was so practically ignorant of the daily reality of such a vital part of the health of our society. Above all, Moses says, it’s your children you have to think about. Repeatedly in the early Hebrew Scriptures, as the new nation is shaped, the order is given to “tell your children”, to shape them, to form their identity, to get them to know that the developing of their conscience and morality and ethics and righteousness will be vital for them and their community. The commandments, positive and negative, are there to describe a society, a common wealth, where consideration is given to the neighbour, to the stateless, to the refugee and to the poor; and where political power, civil authority, military force and financial riches are bounded and controlled to enable the flourishing of all. Get that inside your heads, says Deuteronomy. Get that inside your children. So I took myself to the Magistrates Court round the corner, to watch, as an ordinary citizen, the public outworking of the legal process. What to expect? I think I had some image in my mind of Crown Court, that wonderful 1970s series, with a packed public gallery thrilling to the cut and thrust of legal theatre. This was not the reality I encountered. While I was warmly welcomed, it was with some bafflement, and I quickly became ‘the person who seems to wants to observe, even though he’s not a relative’. I understood the bafflement when I found that the public gallery was a chair just far enough away from the action not to mix me up in it. But it was an instructive morning, even if I did stick out a bit. In the Hebrew Scriptures the commandments, statutes and ordinances which are at the root of our civil and criminal justice system are accompanied by both a code of practice and an encouragement to continuing professional development. The laws come with a requirement not to keep them rolled up in a scroll. Rather they should be lived, celebrated, savoured, cherished, passed on. ‘Keep these words’, says Moses. ‘Recite them’. Talk about them in and out of the house. Like the post-it notes the forgetful leave all over the house to ensure that car keys, tickets and glasses are where they should be, stick these laws everywhere. The fact that I was met with surprise in my local court when I wanted to find out more suggests that not everyone is so desperate So what do we tell our children? What do we ‘recite’ to them? This, of course, goes way beyond the criminal justice system, but our High Sheriff has reminded us about the reality of child sexual exploitation. What is recited to those children, by some, is that their lives only have worth as they are submitted to the hostile will of others, as their weakness is the subject of another’s power. What we would recite to them is that each life has worth in itself, and that each of us has a duty to enable others to thrive. For some of you that means daily involvement in curbing abuse, tackling offenders, taking on barriers in the system, and helping and healing those who have been told that they are only there to be used.You have our support, and our prayers, as in word and action you recite a message some of them have never heard. What do we tell our children? That our laws, at their best, describe who we are, and how we can live side by side, how we can own without stealing and flourish without oppressing. That starts with children themselves: the command to ‘play nicely’ offered to toddlers seems to me to be a decent evocation of the golden rule common to all the great faiths: ‘do onto others as you would have them do to you’. Beverley Minster Magazine/8 I did once ask my PCC to ‘play nicely’ as I went on sabbatical, and they did. Almost. What we tell our children is about how we treat them: how they are safeguarded, what defines a good education (let me tell you there is perhaps no more terrifying a prospect than being the chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee of a school facing an OFSTED in the next eight weeks). It develops with what messages we bombard them with about success, beauty, achievement, worth. I’m not sure that The Apprentice, or X Factor have exhausted the range of possibilities there. It continues with how we shape our society and use our money, and some of that will need legislation too. Those who work in tax law may well be sharpening their pens and doubling the size of their hard drives as I speak. We recite good things to our children when we constantly ask ourselves what is fair. What will we tell our children? As ever, Jesus takes the question and reframes it. What will your children tell you? What will they recite to you? That you become citizens of heaven, subject to divine legislation and polity, when you receive in the way children do. Perhaps it is those of you who exercise the greatest power, who can change the course of people’s lives in an instant, who know most the need to be humble, as a child is humble. Jesus says that he will be found in those with least power and no voice. Treat them well and you have discovered the divine. The Legal Service in the Minster affords the chance to reflect on how our commandments and statutes and ordinances enable that to happen. May our legal professionals know wisdom and power from God to determine, to judge, to enact. And may we all find ways of talking about this, in and out of the house, to our children and with each other, so that the attendants at Beverley Magistrates Court may be less surprised when someone wants to find out more, for no greater reason than knowing that how we legislate is how we serve, and that for Jesus sake. Amen. From a sermon given at the Legal Service on 17 February 2015 by the Vicar, the Revd. Jeremy Fletcher, in the Minster. What a fruitful season we’re having as Minster Youth and Children! Hot off the press is the latest Gruffalo Family Day, based this time on ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ by Julia Donaldson. This last Saturday (21st March) we welcomed over 200 young families into the Minster for a special morning of crafts, games, films, storytelling, play and refreshments, all courtesy of a brilliant team. It was exciting, dynamic and overall warmly welcoming, as was commented by many families who hadn’t been to any events run by the Minster before. A great success! A highlight for me was during storytime where we all gathered on the carpet in the centre of the Minster (under the boss) and I read ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ over the mic – an enthusiastic rabble of tiny children gathered to look at the pictures and get a prime spot next to ‘the lady with the microphone’, and such an excited atmosphere took over, it was electric! Feedback from parents afterwards was about how spellbound the littlies were in those moments – a really special morning.Thank you to those who prayed over the event and came to help on the day. We’re planning to run these popular days more regularly, the next has been booked in June so watch this space, and please do come and help out on a craft table if you’re available – all help is massively appreciated! (See pics for a taster of the morning!) and humanity in the lead up to Easter, and encouraged us to think about love, faith and generosity in our own day-to-day lives. Some feedback from parents and grandparents about the Gruffalo Day: Exciting update: I’ve been approached by Beverley Town Council to provide children’s activities and entertainment for their monthly Local Produce Markets which will run monthly from April in Wednesday Market, so keep an eye out for the dates and for our stall and come join in the fun/bring some little people along if you’re free! “My granddaughter really enjoyed the Gruffalo Day today – thank you to all involved… it’s things like this that make a difference from a boring weekend after school in Beverley!” “Good on you, [my children] came back buzzing and told me all about the Giant’s shoes, the buns they made and lots of other things… you really made a difference, so personally I say thank you!” “It was really good, lots of things to do and so beautifully designed and executed.Well done Em and Ben!” “The Minster know how to do kids church – well done!” In other news, Damascus Youth Group have been meeting every Sunday evening through Lent to study the ‘40 acts’ material from ‘Stewardship’ (see @40acts on Twitter or /40acts on Facebook for more details). It’s taken us through the signs of Jesus’ divinity Beverley Minster Magazine/9 Coming up: another 24/3 event from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday with various events happening for our young people. We’re hoping many of the youngsters who have made so much progress in coming from the social ‘Emmaus’ group through the exploration ‘Cre:8’ sessions and into the ‘Damascus’ worship and Bible study evenings will come along and get to experience God in a powerful way for the first time. Please pray with us as we minister into these lives, and pray for energy for the team! With thanks, and blessings in all you’re doing at the moment, Emily Hoe F RO M T H E A R C H I V E S I found some interesting photographs and postcards of the Minster on eBay, including these 1918 Francis Frith photographs of the Nave looking East (top image) and West (middle). As we are in the midst of new chairs (bottom), I thought I would include these postcards as they show the seating arrangement at that time and I think there are probably a few of those bench seats still around. I have not yet come across any photographs of the seating in the 1940s but there was an exciting addition in early 1948 when loudspeakers and microphones were installed. The suppliers were the Radio Diffusion Service of Hull who would maintain and keep everything up to date for £40 per year. Cases had to be provided for the loudspeakers and the cost of this was taken care of by the Friends of the Minster. This happened during the incumbency of the Reverend Reginald C. Collwyn Hargreaves who took over from Reverend Dick in 1947 and stayed until 1958. He had been trained at Cuddesdon College and showed a great interest in the services, music and fabric of the Minster and enhanced the role of the building as the central church of the East Riding. In 1950 he inaugurated the annual St. John of Beverley service and the week-long music festival which for many years followed it. Concerts and recitals became a feature of the Minster year with the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah by the County Choir as a highlight. (Information from the book ‘Beverley Minster’ edited by Rosemary Horrox.) Prior to Reverend Hargreaves taking up his post of Vicar at the Minster, Reverend Frederic P. Bates had been called upon ‘a second time’ to undertake responsibility for the charge of the Parish during the interregnum. Rev. Hargreaves was living in Springfield Rectory, Chelmsford, with his wife and 3 daughters and in his ‘letter from the Vicar-Designate’ dated 19th May, 1947, to the Beverley Minster Messenger he commented that he was reluctant to move out of his family home of 18 years to a Vicarage that is an ‘awkward house’ with nearly every old-fashioned inconvenience. The Diocesan Surveyor was authorised to draw up plans for dividing and altering the house. As it would take probably six months to complete the work, a member of the congregation, a Mrs. Nicholson, offered her house to the family. ‘Bosworths’ or Bosworth House on Cartwright Lane was to be their temporary home. C U R AT E ’ S C O R N E R Well, what a month! Life has taken on a new meaning since February 16th. When Rachael and I got married, we were overwhelmed by everyone’s well-wishes, prayers, and words of wisdom for a happy and fulfilling marriage. Quite apart from the fact that there were four ministers involved in the service, with this much prayer and support, we have been given the best start to married life we could have hoped for. Thank you everybody! It was wonderful to be able to celebrate our marriage in Beverley Minster, a place which is special not only because I serve here as curate, but because it is a church where Rachael and I have been made to feel so welcome, where we have found friends, and where we are both extremely happy. It has seemed that the road to get to here has been a long one, and one on which we have had a good many adventures together over the years.Your continued prayers for the adventures which still lie ahead are humbly asked of you all by us both. I’m pleased to say that Rachael has now moved into the Curate’s house, and has really made the house into a home In January 1948 ‘Beverley Minster Messenger’ reverted back to its old bigger quarto format, making it twice the size. (www.papersizes.org/old-imperial-sizes. htm.) Once again the magazine was called ‘Beverley Minster Magazine’. The Vicar announced in the March 1948 magazine that Deacon Mr. Walter Beswick would be joining the staff ‘making four of us for the work.’ Also on the staff were Reader Rev. F.P. Bates, of West View, 17 Central Avenue, Walker Estate and Curate in Charge of Woodmansey - Rev. F. G. Hansford of 16 Eastgate. Organist and Choirmaster was Mr. John Long of Cherry Cottage, Cherry Burton. (this involved moving her two cats. They make a great addition to the home and I’m thrilled to have them there; Nutmeg, my one year old Dachshund, isn’t!). After our wedding we honeymooned in Rome, a place that we have both wanted to visit for a long time. Occasionally you can hear people talking of places where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin. Rome proved to be one such place for us; although we both sensed the spirituality of the city in different spots (Rachael felt it particularly in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Church of St. Mary the Great), for me it was in St. Peter’s Square and in the Sistine Chapel, perhaps showing I’m more of a reformed Catholic than I thought!) As we were walking around and seeing the sights we both commented on how wonderful it was to be in a place where so many prayers have been offered up to God. A place where so many hopes and dreams had been laid at His feet by his faithful children who had gathered in that one city throughout the last two thousand years. It really is a place where people are excited abut their faith, where the Sixty seven years ago in the April 1948 magazine Rev. Hargreaves had been reading ‘The Times’ and comments on the Economic Survey for 1948 which is described as ‘black tidings’. The crisis amounted to the nation’s lack of money to buy raw materials from abroad which had resulted in lack of production for goods to export and we were ‘up against it’ only to be saved from unemployment and disaster if America came to our aid. He goes on to say that the spirit of greatness is in us still. ‘God will make us mightier yet in a new and better way than ever before. So let us from to-day resolve to think well of one another and help one another to put our trust in God. With all good wishes, Yours sincerely, COLLWYN HARGREAVES.’ Sally George March 2015 Beverley Minster Magazine/10 Beverley Minster Magazine/11 signs of it are on display everywhere; in restaurants, car dashboards, pinned onto the lapels of jackets. It seems funny to say it but being in a place like that, with such a tangible spirituality, really seemed to re-charge our spiritual batteries. It was a little bit like plugging some of those rechargeable batteries you can by in Tesco’s into the wall socket. When I came back, I felt more excited about prayer, and not just because of the extremely bumpy flight from Rome to Amsterdam. It seems like God didn’t want to miss out on giving Rachael and I a wedding gift, and this was His gift to us. This timing of this is brilliant, as we’re all gearing up for Easter. I have to say that in all the excitement of preparing for the wedding, and exploring life anew together with Rachael since, I have completely forgotten to give something up for Lent. Maybe a slice of renewed spirituality isn’t such a bad thing to offer to God instead, is it? Blessings, Gareth Atha THE REGISTERS OF BEVERLEY MINSTER Published APRIL 2015 Baptisms At St Paul's, Tickton 08 March 2015 Clerestory Clean James Leonard Spence The Clerestory is the upper part of the Transept, Nave and Choir of a large church also containing a series of windows. Funerals 16 February 2015 16 February 2015 19 February 2015 18 March 2015 MINSTER MAINTENANCE Robert Bruce (Bob) Freeman (83) Ray Wilson (87) George Broadhead (76) Sheila Robertson (91) From February 2015 the information published in The Registers has been available on our website (in the Resources menu) and those who receive the free eNewsletter are provided with a direct link to this information. Steve and a colleague in the past poured self levelling concrete over the whole of the Clerestory level, as it was just a place filled with loose stone. Over the years we noticed it needed a clean, dust from inside the church and particles from outside have been blown in through the windows. We started on the lesser North transept and worked our way round the choir and into the North transept above the shop. As there are limited electric points at this level we had to run cables out for the hoover. We moved on to the Nave working from the towers back to the transepts, going on to the lesser South transept then on to the East end including the area abutting the East window. This area has rather narrow spiral staircases to climb down and up! We had to lower the full bags from the hoover down to floor level, a big thank you to the head verger John Dell for disposing of them whilst we looked on from above. Steve Rial, Paul Hawkins Beverley Minster Parish Centre, 38 Highgate, Beverley, HU17 0DN Telephone: 01482 868540 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beverleyminster.org.uk Beverley Minster Parish Magazine is published by Beverley Minster Parochial Church Council. Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial team or the publishers. Copy date for the MAY edition: Friday 17 April Editorial Team: Content: Marjorie and Julian Neaum ([email protected]) design: Mervyn King (e: [email protected]), distribution: John Grimshaw (t: 01482 871370), proof-reading: June Stephenson. Beverley Minster Magazine/12