news 5 Concert Vision to help us for Royal Marine widows A WORSHIPPER at St Peter and share the gospel St Paul’s Church in Hambledon organised a concert that raised IT will be a real chance DIOCESAN CONFERENCE 2011: September 19-21 £113,000 for Royal Marine wid- to explore the vision for ows. bringing God’s love to MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Retired Navy Commander Tony Higham was behind the our local communities. Early morning: Buses leave 7am: Eucharist 7.45am: Morning Prayer our diocese 7.45am: Morning Prayer/Bible study /Bible study concert, which was held in the More than 180 people have 8.30am: Breakfast 8.30am: Breakfast church on May 21. It included now booked to attend our 9.30am: Speaker: Diederick Santer 9.30am: Looking to the future performances from Winchester Diocesan Conference, which takes 10.45am: Coffee 10.45am: Coffee 11.30am: Arrival and registration Cathedral Choir, London’s finest place from September 19-21 at 11am: Discussion groups 11.30am: Liturgy of the Sacrament sopranos, the Royal Marines 12noon: The Gathering High Leigh Conference Centre 1pm: Lunch 1pm: Lunch Brass Quintet and Corps of near Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire. 1pm: Lunch Liturgy of the Word 1.45pm: Blessing and dismissal Drums and a piece by former It’s entitled ‘Touching Earth, 2pm: Free time 3pm: Speaker: Mark Russell 2.30pm: Depart Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones. Touching Heaven’ and will look in 4.30pm: Tea 4pm: Tea The money raised goes to the detail at the Church’s role in our 5pm: Discussion groups 4.30pm: Speaker: Graeme Codrington widows of Royal Marines who world. 5.30pm: Discussion 6pm: Evening Prayer have died in Afghanistan. Clergy, Readers, lay chairs of 6pm: Evening Prayer Among them is Kirianne deanery synods, Bishop’s Council 6.15pm: Bar open 6.15pm: Bar open 7pm: Evening meal 7pm: Conference dinner Curley, whose husband Corporal members, diocesan staff and youth 8pm: Evening programme Steve Curley died serving in 9.30pm: Night prayer and children’s workers will attend. 9.30pm: Night prayer Afghanistan. She read a moving The conference will be organ- Items forming part of the Extended Eucharist throughout conference are in red piece at the event which was held ised as an Extended Eucharist, exactly a year to the day since with the main sessions forming a she had spoken to her late hus- ‘Liturgy of the Word’ before we band for the last time. share in bread and wine on the Commander Ollie Lee record- final morning. ed a moving message from Among the speakers will be Afghanistan, which was played Diederick Santer, who was the for the concert audience. producer of TV soap Eastenders Tony, 62, added: “I think and whose father was Bishop of there were quite a few boxes of Birmingham. And Mark Russell, Kleenex tissues got through that chief executive of the Church night. It was a pleasure to stage it Army, will speak on the most in such a lovely place. Canon effective ways to evangelise in our Robin Coutts was delighted that secular world. the church was used for this Graeme Codrington, who led a occasion and he’d like to do session in our diocese last year on more like that.” how older and younger people Conference speakers (l to r) Diederick Santer, Mark Russell and Graeme Codrington have different value systems, has and Tuesday. ent locations in the diocese, attending and for those who can’t Meet writers now been confirmed as our third The options include Taizé-style including Portsmouth, Fareham, get there. speaker. worship, contemporary praise, tra- Havant and Petersfield, on For the latest news about the at popular The conference will also fea- ditional Compline, Common September 19 to take people there. conference and about what’s hap- ture a variety of styles of worship. Worship, prayer in the style of the A new innovation for the con- pening elsewhere in the diocese, book festival Three different styles of Evening Northumbrian Community, and ference will be the use of Twitter click on www.facebook.com/ YOU have the chance to meet tal- Prayer and three styles of Night Blesséd-style alternative worship. and Facebook to share news, com- CofEPortsmouth and www.twitter. ented authors at the West Meon Prayer will be offered on Monday Coaches will leave from differ- ments and photos – for those com/CofE Portsmouth. Festival of Books held at St John the Evangelist Church. A number of authors will be at Priest blesses marathon bike ride the weekend festival to discuss A NEWPORT priest blessed to gain educational qualifica- ing band, a bike display and and celebrate their work from motorcyclists heading on a tions and skills. Over the past live music at the Wheatsheaf July 8-10. They include Michelle 4,000-mile round trip to 11 years, 600 young people Hotel. Magorian, who wrote Goodnight Russia to raise money for have been helped emotionally On the morning of the Mister Tom, Michael Dobbs, who orphans. and financially. trip, the bikers - made up of wrote House of Cards, Allan The Rev Roger Whatley, The 10 motorcyclists set men and women aged Mallinson, author of the Matthew who is curate for Newport off on June 1, heading to between 44 and 67 - were Hervey novels and Cole Moreton, parish, blessed bikers in St Moscow, St Petersburg and blessed and presented with whose latest book is Is God Still Thomas’s Square before they back by June 16. They hoped bibles from the Christian an Englishman?. set off on a 16-day trip. to raise £20,000 between Motorbikes Association. Spitting Image star Steve They were raising money them. The Rev Roger Whatley, Nallon will speak on the Saturday for the Genesis project run The night before the bik- said he greatly admired what evening. And on Sunday, children by the island-based charity ers set off, they were joined they do and added: “It was can join in with the Treehouse Love Russia. by motorcycle enthusiasts an opportunity to welcome Theatre show The Pied Piper of It helps those leaving and members of the congre- them into the minster and Hamelin. For tickets and more Russian orphanages and gation for a party in the give them a fun farewell from information visit www.westmeon Bikers in the square before the trip young people in poor families square. There was a march- the whole island.” festival.co.uk.