THREE PARISHES NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2015
The Benefice Letter
Dear Friends
British values are under threat! They are being challenged from two quarters: the growth of ISIS and the political direction of the European Union. When I was at school in the 1950s British values were relatively simple. We had recently been on the winning side in the Second World War and a new monstrous ‘other’ had emerged – the Soviet Union. We regularly sang Hearts of Oak, composed in 1760 in celebration of naval victories in the Seven Years War. ‘We’ll fight and we’ll conquer again and again!’ This year we celebrate the anniversaries of two more victories: Waterloo (19th June, 1815) and Agincourt (25th October, 1415). On September 12th, the Albert Hall will resound to the words of the famous patriotic songs: Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory (‘Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set!’)
Are we unique in defining our national identity in terms of military victories? I don’t think so. The words of the French La Marseillaise are much more bloodthirsty than our National Anthem. In the United States, the current crop of potential candidates (twelve as I write) for the Republican nomination for the Presidential election of 2016 are engaged in a competition to prove how ‘American’ they are by advocating new military interventions. The most recent entry, Donald Trump, has extended the targets beyond the usual Middle Eastern states by promising to ‘defeat’ China and to build a wall along the border between the USA and Mexico (and to make the Mexicans pay for it).
I wouldn’t go as far as Samuel Johnson in describing patriotism as ‘the last refuge of a scoundrel’, but I would suggest that the ‘values’ of a nation need to be broader than a celebration of, for example, thrashing the French. There are also other questions. In what way do British Values differ from those of other nations? And a deeper question: are they fundamentally any different from Human Values? Space does not allow me to provide answers here (even if I could!). However, there are two authorities worth consulting, one new the other old. On May 24th, Pope Francis issued his second Encyclical, Laudato Si - May God be praised! It should prove an embarrassment to those Republican candidates who are Catholic. You can read it at www.w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/html. The other is a sermon preached early in his ministry by a young teacher in first-century Palestine. It is reported in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew’s gospel. Happy reading!
Peter Davies Parish Registers
SALTFORD Baptisms 4th July Martha Amy Dorothy Bodman 5th July James Andrew Perriman
Marriage 27th June Emma Caroline Harding and Mark John Page
Funerals 15th June Esme Doreen Turtle 22nd June Gwendoline Parker
NEWTON ST LOE Baptism 12th July Rebecca Amy Marguerite Evans
Parish Roundabout
Everyone is welcome at the Celebration for a New Ministry of The Revd Daile Wilshere as Rector of The Benefice of Saltford with Corston and Newton St Loe by The Right Reverend Peter Hancock Bishop of Bath and Wells and The Venerable Andy Piggott, Archdeacon of Bath in Holy Trinity Church Newton St Loe on Sunday 9th August 2015 at 6.30pm
Holy Communion at Home or a Visit: If anyone is unable to get to church and would like either Holy Communion at Home or just a visit, please contact the Parish Office.
Copydate for the next newsletter is 7th August at the latest. Please deliver all copy to the Parish Office. If you produce it on a computer it would be a great help if you would please email it to: [email protected]
Transport: for transport to a service in the benefice, please ring the Parish Office.
The Less Able: if anyone needs assistance to fully share in a church service please ring the Parish Office.
Paul, Daile, Rachel & Rebecca Invite you to an Open House at the Rectory On Saturday 15th August 2015 12.00-8.00pm
All are welcome to pop in, say hello, ask your questions and meet us informally over homemade cakes baked by Rebecca & Rachel.
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St Mary’s Saltford www.stmaryssaltford.org.uk The Parish Office, St Mary’s Church Hall, High St., Saltford, BS31 3EL Tel: 01225 872275 Email: [email protected] Churchwardens: Dave Faulkner 01225 874133 John Norris 01225 872750
Circle of Friends : There will be no meeting in August and September’s meeting will be on Thursday 10th September because there is a theatre visit on the first Thursday. Hilary Smedley 873179
Theatre Trips : THE BODYGUARD at the Bristol Hippodrome on Thursday 21st January 2016 at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced at £25.00 to be paid for, please, by 15th October 2015 Contact Olive Wilkinson on 873965 for further details
Coffeeshop: this is now on Friday Mornings at the Hinton Close meeting room from 10.00am to 11.30am.
Evening Praise – there is no Evening Praise Service in the month of August
MEN’S CURRY NIGHT with guest speaker Simon Barnes, CEO of Send a Cow Friday 2nd October @ 7.30pm - St Mary's Church Hall
‘From milk to manure to manna! - Is permanent change in Africa achievable and worth it?’
Autumn will soon be on its way, so what could be better to warm you up than a curry with friends? There will be a selection of delicious, home cooked curries to choose from, including vegetarian. Our ‘After Curry’ speaker will be Simon Barnes, CEO of Newton St Loe based charity Send a Cow. Formed in 1988 by a group of West Country farmers, Send a Cow helps African farmers grow enough food to feed their families, sell produce and develop small businesses that last. Inspired by Christian values, Send a Cow provides training, livestock, seeds and ongoing support; helping families to make the most of the land and resources they already have.
Prior to his leadership of Send a Cow, Simon served as Executive Vice President at the American Bible Society. He was also Senior Vice President and Director of Advisory Services for Geneva Global Limited, an organisation supporting individuals making life- changing philanthropic investments. An ordained Anglican priest, born in Essex, he has recently returned with his wife and family to live in the South West of England after 25 years in the US.
Do come along and don’t forget to invite a friend! Tickets £5.00 available from: Robin Dixon 01225 359014 Nigel Taylor 01225 874905 Dave Faulkner 01225 874133 Ian Freemantle 0117 9090496
☩ All Saints, Corston www.allsaintscorston.org.uk Parish Office Tel:01225 872275 Churchwardens: Jane Jones 01225 873475 Liz Acton 01225 873955
Daile’s First Service at Corston As mentioned last month, our new Rector will be licensed by the Bishop of Bath & Wells at Newton St Loe on the 9th August at 6.30pm. Members of all three parishes are welcome at this service but Daile’s first service at Corston will be on Sunday 16th August. This will be at 4.00pm and will be followed by a cream tea. The service will be a fairly informal Songs of Praise with participation by various organisations within the church and we hope Daile will give a short address. It would be good to have a full church.
Please note there will be no Family Service on 16th August
Bible Study. Our Bible study evenings will recommence in the autumn. Please make a note of the dates and put them in your diaries! The proposed dates are September 10th and 24th and October 8th 15th and 22nd. These are fairly informal but fascinating evenings. We would love to see more people there so a warm welcome awaits you if you feel these evenings would be of interest to you. Just contact Peter and Angela LeRoy – or just turn up! We meet at 7.30pm for light refreshments followed by Bible Study from 8.00pm to 9.00pm.
“A Haunt of Ancient Peace” (Tennyson)
Our parish churches are there for everyone – not, as most people assume, just for those who attend the services. In our anxieties about the latter it is easy to overlook the former. We forget that coming in to a church, for whatever reason, is an important preliminary to joining in its worship. Our churches have on offer a pearl of great price which everyone needs but we totally fail to notice it. It is peace.
We live in an increasingly noisy and stressful society thanks to our propensity to misuse every good gift that comes our way. Travel is easy so our roads are fast approaching gridlock and aircraft queue at our airports polluting the atmosphere while they travel nowhere. Communication is easy so we communicate incessantly - just look at our grandchildren using social media. Those of us who worked on computers in the 1950s thought that they would bring an age of leisure. Instead they enable us to work twice as hard at any hour of the day or night. So doctors’ surgeries are full of people with stress-related problems.
First of all we need to keep our churches open. It only involves locking up anything of value. Then we need to advertise the fact that they offer a haven of peace from the noisy world that is open to all (atheist or believer). We should leave material for meditation or prayer easily accessible but not force it upon anyone. Many will prefer to sit and soak themselves in the peace which passes all understanding. Understanding may come later. Michael Palin, not himself a believer, ended a recent lecture to the National Churches Trust with the following wise words.
“If the idea of a community is to mean anything at all, then we must value the churches that are at their centre. Not just because so many are beautiful buildings in themselves but for what they can still offer – as they used to offer – as havens, shelters, places of protection, places that it doesn’t cost a penny to enter and which won’t cost you a penny to stay all day.
We must not be afraid to try and use our churches, open them for believers and non-believers and even “agnostics with doubts” to enjoy. They are an archive of hopes, dreams, fears, skills, talent and troubles, which should surely be available to as many people as possible. They are a precious expression of our past. And it is the duty of our present generation to deliver them intact for the future” Robert Johnson Holy Trinity, Newton St Loe www.holytrinitynsl.org.uk Parish Office Tel: 01225 872275 Churchwardens: Rosemary Denning 01225 872617 Ian Tadd 01225 426489
Gerry Hones decided to retire from the P.C.C. at the Annual General meeting, but he will still carry on greeting people to Church on Sundays with his smile and charm as he has been doing for over 30 years. Gerry has contributed immensely to all aspects of Newton Church and is well respected in the village and by many people who have connections with Newton Church through Weddings, Baptisms, and sadly funerals. The Newton Church congregation made a small presentation to Gerry to say thank you to Gerry with best wishes for the future.
May Day: The final meeting of the May Day Country Market held on 17th. August showed a profit of £7100 a wonderful effort with many thanks to Wendy and all who helped to make this day a success.
Newton Church will host the licensing service for Rev. Daile Wilshire on Sunday 9th. August at 6.30 p.m. The Bishop of Bath and Wells with the Archdeacon of Bath will conduct the service and there will be refreshments in the Duchy office after the ceremony.
SPONSORED PEAL at Holy Trinity Church Saturday 22nd August A full peal of bells will be rung on 22nd from 10.30am for 2 to 3 hours! The sponsored peal is to raise money for new bell muffles, which will be used on Remembrance Sunday and other solemn occasions/services. The muffles will be measured for each clapper. The current ones are old pieces of leather tied with string. Anyone kind enough to sponsor the ringers should contact Nicki Lang, Tower Master via the Parish Office. Rose Bailey ☩
How Do You Pray?
Last month we considered the fact that Christians throughout the centuries have found 'works of art', including written forms,* serve to turn their attention to God (i.e. teach them how to pray). The early Church quickly came to realize that the O.T. injunction against 'images' no longer applied, since God had revealed Himself in human form....Jesus, the exact image of the living God. The glory of God had been seen in the face of Christ (2Cor 4 v6). That said, the whole issue was debated extensively as late as the eighth century and even today there are some who have reservations on the matter. I well remember when I first worshipped with fellow Christians, my brothers and sisters in Christ, who entered church and moved around greeting the icons there. It seemed to me to be very odd, even inappropriate. That was until I asked them why they did it. Then I realized that my feelings about it were even more odd and inappropriate! We need to be listening to each other and learning from each other rather than trying to teach each other. When we listen, we can learn ways of praying that we had never even dreamed of, let alone heard about. Prayer is a precious privilege granted by our gracious God and there are lots of ways of doing it. Let us pray, Ken Plant
*It is significant that the Eastern Church has always spoken of "writing" icons, not "painting" them.
AUGUST 2015 DIARY
1st Saturday
2nd Sunday – Trinity 9 8.00am Holy Communion, Saltford 9.30am Family Service Saltford 11.15am Teen Church Saltford 11.15am Family Communion Corston 11.15am Morning Prayer (CW) Newton 6.30pm Evensong, Saltford
3rd Monday 9.00am Morning Prayer Marksbury
4h Tuesday
5th Wednesday 9.30am Holy Communion, Saltford
6th Thursday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Corston 10.30am Holy Communion, Corston
7th Friday 8.00am Morning Prayer Saltford 10.00am Coffeeshop, Hinton Close Mtg Room,
8th Saturday 10.00-2.30pm Clay shoot at Meadowcroft Farm, Marksbury in aid of Newton Church
9th Sunday - Trinity 10 9.30am Parish Communion, Saltford 6.30pm Institution and Licensing Service, Holy Trinity, Newton St Loe
10th Monday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Marksbury
11th Tuesday
12th Wednesday 9.30am Holy Communion Saltford 12 noon Soup & Pudding Lunch, Corston
13th Thursday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Corston 10.30am Holy Communion, Corston
14th Friday 10.00am Coffeeshop, Hinton Close Mtg room
15th Saturday
16th Sunday – Trinity 11 8.00am Holy Communion 9.30am Parish Communion, Saltford 11.15am Family Service Newton 4.00pm Songs of Praise, Corston
17th Monday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Marksbury
18th Tuesday
19th Wednesday 9.30am Holy Communion Saltford
20th Thursday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Corston 10.30am Holy Communion, Corston
21st Friday 10.00am Coffee shop, Hinton Close Mtg Rm
22nd Saturday
23rd Sunday – Trinity 12 9.30am Parish Communion, Saltford 11.15am Holy Communion, Newton 6.30pm Evensong, Corston
24th Monday 9.00am Morning Prayer Marksbury
25th Tuesday
26th Wednesday 9.30am Holy Communion Saltford
27th Thursday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Corston 10.30am Holy Communion, Corston
28th Friday 10.00am Coffee shop, Hinton Close Mtg Rm
29th Saturday
30th Sunday – Trinity 13 9.30am Parish Communion Saltford 11.15am Family Service, Corston 11.15am Holy Communion, Newton
31st Monday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Marksbury
SEPTEMBER 2015 DIARY
1st Tuesday 6.30pm St Mary’s Prayer Mtg 433 Bath Rd 7.45pm Housegroup 18 High St Saltford
2nd Wednesday 9.30am Holy Communion, Saltford 7.45pm Housegroup 14 Golf Club Lane 8.00pm Housegroup 5 Vernon Close
3rd Thursday 9.00am Morning Prayer, Corston 10.30am Holy Communion, Corston
4th Friday 10.00am Coffeeshop, Hinton Close Mtg Room,
5th Saturday
6th Sunday - Trinity 14 8.00am Holy Communion, Saltford 9.30am Family Communion, Saltford 11.15am Teen Church, Saltford 11.15am Family Communion, Corston 11.15am Morning Service (CW), Newton 6.30pm Evensong, Saltford
Archdeacon Ruth Worsley announced as next Bishop of Taunton
The Venerable Ruth Worsley is to be the next Bishop of Taunton in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Ruth is currently Archdeacon of Wilts in the neighbouring Diocese of Salisbury, a position she has held since January 2013.
Archdeacon Ruth is “delighted to be heading to Somerset” as the 13th Bishop of Taunton. After her ordination in 1996, Ruth served for 14 years as a parish priest in Nottingham in one of the poorest areas in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. During this time she served as an Area Dean and was made Dean of Women’s Ministry for the diocese in 2007. In 2010 she took on the role of Parish Development Adviser in the Diocese of Southwark, based in Bermondsey. In 2013 she swapped inner-city life for Wiltshire. Ruth said, “I am surprised and amused to be chosen as the next Bishop of Taunton as I grew up in a non-conformist church where women held no roles of leadership. I am delighted to be heading to Somerset to join the diocesan team in this wonderful part of the world, moving ‘next door’ as it were. It will be a great privilege to meet and serve everyone who lives and works in the county.
“In a diocese with such a mix of rural and more urban parishes, each I’m sure with its own distinct personality, I’m really keen to experience how our churches and the diocese are meeting those different needs. And how we can engage in the process of transformation, one which changes lives, both our own and others, and then influences the way in which we are ‘Church’ and brings about a renewed sense of community.” Reflecting on the atrocities in Tunisia, Ruth added, “In the light of the pain of the past few weeks we can all see the need to build bridges and forge relationships which will heal hurt, stand firm in the face of evil, and ensure that God’s compassionate love and justice are expressed in our lives.”
Ruth’s first engagement as Bishop of Taunton-designate was a tour of the YMCA’s George Williams Centre at Bridgwater, which supports local young people without a safe place to stay by providing accommodation, advice and counselling as well as encouraging the wellbeing of the local community with everyday opportunities to get active. Ruth then travelled to Churchfield Primary School, a Church of England Academy in Highbridge to meet school children and staff.
Welcoming Ruth, the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath and Wells said, “I am delighted by this appointment. Ruth is going to bring a wealth of experience in town and country to her new role as Bishop of Taunton. I look forward to sharing in the service of Christ with her and know our parishes, schools, chaplaincies and all our communities will benefit from the gifts she brings.
“The mission of the Church will be greatly enhanced through Ruth’s contribution to the leadership of the diocese as together we seek God’s vision for the people and places of Somerset.”
Ruth will be ordained and consecrated as a Bishop by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby in London this autumn. She will then be officially installed as Bishop of Taunton in Wells Cathedral later this year. Ruth will live in Wells and work from the Bishops’ Office at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells, alongside Bishop Peter Hancock.
You can read more and watch a video message on the diocesan website at www.bathandwells.org.uk. The Bishop of Taunton’s role is that of a Suffragan Bishop. Ruth’s role will be to support the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who is the Diocesan Bishop, much akin to a deputy. Some key facts about Ruth: Aged 53. Ruth was born in Hampton, Middlesex in 1962 and grew up under the flight path of Heathrow airport in Ashford and Staines. Attended the University of Manchester and St John’s College, Nottingham. Ordained in 1996 Currently Archdeacon of Wilts, since 2013 Married to Howard, Vice-Principal at Trinity College, Bristol. They have three adult sons. Ruth will become the 13th Bishop of Taunton
LOVE, LAUGHter, AND LISTENING
an evening with
Adrian and Bridget Plass at Victoria Methodist Church Keynsham on Friday 11th September at 7.30pm
Tickets £5.00 inc. coffee & biscuits. Available from Parish Office Mon – Fri 9.30am -12.30pm and Victoria Church Office Mon – Sat 10am -12 noon
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN KEYNSHAM & SALTFORD EVENT