Bolingbroke Deanery
FEBRUARY 2021 ISSUE 536
Faithful, Confident, Joyful
Our calling from God is to work together across the Bolingbroke Team to reconnect dispersed communities with the transforming love of Jesus through our FELLOWSHIP, INCLUSIVENESS & SERVICE
Our Vision We aim to have more visible links between people of faith and our local communities by working together in a ministry of encouragement across boundaries 50p 1
Church of England updated The Government has announced a formal tiering review, whereby more areas have been elevated to tiers 4 and 3. The guidance for places of worship within tiers has not changed at this time, and public worship may continue in all tiers, in line with the Government guidance and the advice below. We are also conscious of those who will not wish to attend a church building in light of increased numbers of cases, as well as churches who for different reasons cannot currently safely accommodate public worship. Many churches continue to offer local streamed worship, together with national online weekly worship and daily audio prayer services via the Time to Pray app and podcast, and the Daily Hope telephone line for any who are unable to access the internet. See church online for more details. Whilst Government guidance permits certain activities to take place in church buildings, it is still vital that the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are kept in place. Under latest Lockdown Public worship in church, churchyard or other premises where church services are routinely held Permitted as ‘communal worship’ provided that any person attending is: alone or is part of a group all from the same household or from two linked households and must not join any other group or mingle with any person from another group. A statutory risk assessment must be carried out and all reasonable measures taken to limit risk of transmission of coronavirus Travel to church Permitted. But people are advised to avoiding travelling outside of their village, town or the part of a city where they live.
Bolingbroke Churches on line:
We will continue to publish a short video on YouTube and linked to our website.
Our Web Site http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/index.php
Back copies can also be seen on our YouTube Account - Bolingbroke Team Churches https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqTDWzvL2jxeB6ESF- aP9Nw?view_as=subscriber
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READINGS AT THE EUCHARIST
Principal Service
Sunday 7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent (Green) First Reading Proverbs 8.1, 22-31 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 104.26-end Second Reading Colossians 1.15-20 Gospel John 1.1-14
Sunday 14th February Sunday next before Lent (Green) First Reading 2 Kings 2.1-12 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 50.1-6 Second Reading 2 Corinthians 4.3-6 Gospel Mark 9.2-9
Sunday 21st February 1st Sunday of Lent (Purple or Lent Array) First Reading Genesis 9.8-17 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 25.1-9 Second Reading 1 Peter 3.18-end Gospel Mark 1.9-15
Sunday 28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent (Purple or Lent Array) First Reading Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 22.23-end Second Reading Romans 4.13-end Gospel Mark 8.31-end
FACE COVERINGS IN CHURCH
Face coverings must be worn by all those attending a place of worship, including ministers, worshippers, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors. Social distancing and hand sanitising/hand washing must still take place.
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SERVICES ACROSS MARDEN HILL CLUSTER
East Keal, East Kirkby, Hagnaby, Hagworthingham, Hareby, Mavis Enderby, Miningsby, Lusby, Old Bolingbroke, Toynton All Saints, Toynton St. Peter, West Keal
FEBRUARY 2021 PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent East Keal Holy Communion 9.30am
14th February Sunday next before Lent East Keal Holy Communion 9.30am Hagworthingham Holy Communion 11.15am East Kirkby Service of the Word 3.00pm Old Bolingbroke Holy Communion 3.00pm
21st February 1st Sunday of Lent East Keal Holy Communion 9.30am
28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent East Keal Holy Communion 9.30am
Services listed are dependent on Government restrictions. If you wish to check before turning up please contact the Deanery Office – 01790 752526.
St Helen, East Keal Open daily for Private Prayer - 10.00am – 3.00pm (Sun-Wed)
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SERVICES ACROSS SPILSBY CLUSTER
St James Spilsby, St Mary Hundleby, Holy Trinity Raithby, All Saints Great Steeping, and the three St Andrew’s: Halton Holegate, Little Steeping & Firsby
FEBRUARY 2021 PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent Hundleby Morning Prayer 9.30am Spilsby Informal Service 10.00am Great Steeping Holy Communion 3.00pm
14th February Sunday next before Lent Spilsby Holy Communion 9.30am
21st February 1st Sunday of Lent Spilsby Holy Communion 9.30am Hundleby Holy Communion 11.15am Firsby Evening Prayer 3.00pm
28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent Spilsby Holy Communion 9.30am
Services listed are dependent on Government restrictions. If you wish to check before turning up please contact the
Deanery Office – 01790 752526.
Eucharist at St James, Spilsby - Every Wednesday 10.30am
St James, Spilsby Open daily for Private Prayer - 8am – 12 noon
St Mary, Hundleby Open daily for Private Prayer - 10.00am to 2.00pm
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SERVICES ACROSS STICKNEY CLUSTER
Eastville, Midville, New Leake, Stickford, Stickney
FEBRUARY 2021 PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent Stickney Morning Worship 11.15am
14th February Sunday next before Lent Stickford Morning Worship 11.15am
21st February 1st Sunday of Lent Stickney Morning Worship 11.15am
28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent Stickford Morning Worship 11.15am
Services listed are dependent on Government restrictions. If you wish to check before turning up please contact Rev’d Fran Jeffries – 01205 481183
St Luke Stickney Open Thursdays for Private Prayer - 10.00am – 11.00am St Helen Stickford Open Thursdays for Private Prayer - 10.00am to 11.30am St Jude, New Leake Open Tuesdays for Prayer & Bible Study - 2.00pm
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SERVICES ACROSS PARTNEY CLUSTER
Ashby by Partney, Aswardby, Candlesby, Dalby, Langton w Sutterby, Partney, Sausthorpe, Scremby, Skendleby
FEBRUARY 2021 PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent Partney Holy Communion 11.15am Scremby Evening Prayer 3.00pm
14th February Sunday next before Lent Candlesby Morning Prayer 9.30am
21st February 1st Sunday of Lent Aswardby Morning Prayer 9.30am Partney Family Service 11.15am
28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent Sausthorpe Morning Prayer 11.15am Skendleby Evening Prayer 3.00pm
Services listed are dependent on Government restrictions. If you wish to check before turning up please contact Rev’d Teresa McLaughlin – 01790 752344
St Nicholas, Partney Open Thursdays for Private Prayer 11.30am to 12.30pm
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SERVICES ACROSS SOUTH ORMSBY GROUP
Bag Enderby, Brinkhill, Calceby, Driby, Farforth, Harrington, Haugh, Ketsby, Maidenwell, Oxcombe, Ruckland, Salmonby, Somersby, South Ormsby, Tetford & Worlaby.
FEBRUARY 2021 PATTERNS OF WORSHIP
7th February 2nd Sunday before Lent Tetford Holy Communion 9.30am
14th February Sunday next before Lent Tetford Holy Communion 9.30am
21st February 1st Sunday of Lent Tetford Holy Communion 9.30am
28th February 2nd Sunday of Lent Tetford Holy Communion 9.30am
Services listed are dependent on Government restrictions. If you wish to check before turning up please contact
Rev’d Teresa McLaughlin – 01790 752344
St Mary, Tetford Open Thursdays for Private Prayer - 2.00pm to 3.00pm
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February Diary Dates 16th Shrove Tuesday 17th Ash Wednesday services 10.30am St James, Spilsby 11.00am St Luke, Stickney 11.15am St Nicholas, Partney 7.00pm St Helen, East Keal
Compline Every Wednesday via Zoom 8.00pm Starting 17th February 2021
Stations of the Cross Every Friday via Zoom 6.00pm Starting 19th February 2021
The Deanery Synod scheduled for 15th February is to be re-arranged when information from the next Diocesan Synod has been received.
Group Registers: Funerals: Spilsby Cluster Gordon Brocklebank 73 years Halton Holegate died 26.11.2020 Charles Wright 92 years Hundleby died 29.11.2020 Barbara Warner 94 years Spilsby died 14.12.2020 Barbara Hicks 98 years Spilsby died 06.12.2020 Dorothy Harrison 95 years Spilsby died 06.12.2020 Margaret White 92 years Spilsby died 12.12.2020
Marden Hill Cluster Gillian Maxim 70 years Hagworthingham died 28.11.2020 Patricia Clarke 93 years Old Bolingbroke died 11.12.2020
Partney Cluster David John Scrimshaw 66 years Partney died 02.12.2020 Michael Rowland Johnson 72 years Candlesby died 29.12.2020
South Ormsby Group Michael George Hall 64 years South Ormsby died 01.12.2020
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The Acting Bishop of Lincoln
Ad Clerum
6 January 2021
Dear friends and colleagues,
We write on this Feast of the Epiphany, and at the beginning of a New Year.
We hope that you have found some opportunity for rest over the holiday period, though we know that for most of us any relaxation will have been set within the effort that is necessary to live and to minister during these Covid-shadowed times.
As 2021 begins, we want to reach out to you, our partners in ministry, service, discipleship and evangelism. We do this as, together, we seek to respond to the Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a third period of lockdown for England.
We have celebrated the feast of the Incarnation, reading together the story of God’s love for the world as manifested in his Son, Jesus Christ: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people’. (John 1.1-4).
We may have read the Prologue to St John’s Gospel in a church building filled with yellow tape, the smell of hand-sanitiser and far fewer of God’s people than would normally be gathered on Christmas morning. We may have read the story of God’s creating journey of light in our own home, unable to join others in worship, except in heart, mind and perhaps over the internet or radio. We may have read John’s words in a hospital ward, 10
or in our memory while stacking supermarket shelves, or as we struggled through whatever restrictions applied to greet our family and neighbours. In whatever circumstances we heard the words, we pray that we were all able to find hope in the Word made flesh and in the fact that: ‘the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’ (John 1.5). On this Feast of the Epiphany we now remember that the light of Christ is a light for the whole world.
This is going to be a tough year. Even with vaccines, it is likely to be months before the pandemic begins to pass, and it will certainly be many months before we have fully come to terms with its consequences, spiritual, personal, societal, financial. There will be work to be done with the bereaved, with the depressed and anxious, with those who have lost their businesses and livelihoods. We ourselves may be in these categories. We will have to find the energy to continue to care creatively, to persist in prayer, to offer worship online and in person. We have much to rebuild, and we will have to face the reality that in order to rebuild we will probably also have to allow some things to lie fallow, or even to die. We will have to look hard at our expectations, our behaviour, our relationships. To whom should we now reach out? From whom do we need to seek forgiveness? What are the bridges that should be built, the mutuality discovered, the differences named in courageous love? The beginning of a new period of lockdown, while returning us to a pattern to which we have become partly accustomed during 2020, doesn’t remove from us the challenge to rebuild, nor the expectations that our fellow worshippers and community members rightly have of us if we have been elected to office or hold a publicly recognised or licensed ministry.
These are big things to grapple with at the best of times, but we are doing so now knowing that many of our resources have been sorely depleted by the pandemic. In Lincolnshire there is also the cumulative impact of often hidden poverty, rural and urban, of stretched public services, of ageing communities and congregations, and of sharp divisions between those who ‘have’ or who are perceived to ‘have’, and those who ‘have not’ or who are perceived to ‘have not’. This is a diocese whose people bear scars, of different sorts, as it is also a diocese whose people know what it is to love God and to love their neighbour as themselves.
And it is into this land, as into all lands, that the news of ‘God with us’ comes at Christmas and throughout the seasons of the incarnation.
And this is why we are writing to you now, as the year begins, and as we digest the implications of a lockdown that may last many months, to invite us, if at all possible, to recognise that the way through this difficult time is 11
to be found by working together. The wise men brought their gifts to Jesus and presented them to him, as the shepherds had done before, therefore finding a shared purpose that would transform their lives and expectations.
As Christmas turns to Epiphany and then to Lent and to Eastertide, we become drawn into the story of God’s love for the world. These seasons give us opportunity to worship, to study, to talk, to listen, and to decide: even if in 2021, as in 2020, we will be doing so under restrictions and in ways that will require us to gather, communicate and collaborate differently. We have already demonstrated that we can do this, and we are confident that we will continue to respond lovingly and sacrificially, however tired we each may individually be, buoyed by our shared confidence in God. We will be creative about what we do and about how we do these things, and especially about how we are able to do them as one body, despite the restrictions on movement and gathering. We already have multiple layers and means of belonging, each of them able to offer different things, and we will draw on these layers as we strengthen our togetherness as parishes and benefices, and as a diocese, for it is only as we act collectively that we will find our way through.
Our world, our church, our diocese, are faced by questions: What is the value of human life? How do we understand the pandemic? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus today? To what is God calling us, through his Spirit? How do we plant and nurture seeds that will lead to future growth in confidence, in character, in numbers? How do we best deploy the resources that we have? How do we best gather and steward the gifts that we have been given? How do we relate properly to each other as people of different ethnicities, cultures, histories, classes, economic and educational opportunities, who share the same space? What should the Church of England’s position be on marriage, gender, human sexuality and relationships? What should our response be to climate change? - These are some of the questions that face us, as human beings, as Christians, and in our ministerial roles.
We will be exploring and answering these questions as we prepare for our Diocesan Synod in April, and as we set budgets and programmes for the future of the Diocese of Lincoln. We will be exploring and answering them as part of the national Church during 2021 and 2022, and in which the voice and opinions of the people of Greater Lincolnshire matter, just as much as those of any other part of the country. It isn’t easy to be faced by questions, and certainly not by so many questions at the same time, and it is only natural if on occasion we wish to look away, or feel
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overwhelmed, but we believe that it is in facing these questions that we will find hope, whereas to look away only defers reality.
It is our profound belief that there is benefit in doing our exploring and answering, planning and implementing, together - as one - united in our Christian identity, respectful of and able to rejoice in our differences - all part of the same Body of Christ - all participants in the awesome, mysterious, joyful life of the Holy Trinity.
May this be a year in which the strength and quality and courage and compassion of the people of the Diocese of Lincoln is a beacon not only to the region but also to the nation!
It is a profound privilege to serve you as bishops. We do this mindful of our own anxieties and weaknesses, as also of our strengths and our responsibilities. The Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, is our hope and our rock, as we pray he is yours too.
A medieval meditation on the Prologue of John eventually settled into the words of a traditional carol. They are now more usually sung by a choir than by a congregation, and even then, only in part. Nevertheless, they speak to us this January 2021. Here is the Son of God singing as he journeys to Bethlehem for his birth. His is a dance and a song that he longs us to join:
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day; I would my true love did so chance To see the legend of my play, To call my true love to my dance; Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love, This have I done for my true love.
May we all accept the Lord’s loving invitation this year, to join him in his dance.
With every blessing for 2021,
The Rt Revd Dr David Court The Rt Revd Dr Nicholas Chamberlain Bishop of Grimsby Bishop of Grantham Acting Bishop of Lincoln 13
Deanery Synod & PAMG Meetings – Keeping You Informed
• The ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course is continuing by zoom meetings. If anyone is interested in joining please contact Fr Peter. • LYCIG (Lead Your Church into Growth) is to be re-launched on 1 February. Rev’d Fran will zoom in on the seminar to find out more. Hopefully it will then be tailored to what groups want. • The Lent Course will be based on the book ‘Living His Story’. Meetings will be held by zoom. Course booklets are available to purchase. Daily reflections and prayer can be used as part of the course or by individuals at home. • The Diocese have appointed Jack Redeyoff as the new safeguarding officer. • Learning Communities continue to meet by zoom. The last meeting looked at one of the 5-levers – Growth and how to help parishes grow. Supporting people during Lockdown was also discussed. • Rural Deans’ meeting – Rev’d Nick Brown has been appointed Precentor of Lincoln. Rev’d James Robinson has been commissioned as Rural Dean of Louthesk. • Covenant Pastors are being sought by the Diocese. The role involves going around parishes/groups to talk about finances including Parish Share and other ways. If anyone is interested finding out more about what this will entail please talk to your clergy. See article on page 15. • Diocesan Eco Policy – difficult to hold meetings to discuss this at the moment. All are encouraged to do what they can to help ‘save the planet’ and reduce the churches carbon foot print. • Resourcing Sustainable Churches – the Diocese are currently looking at how costs can be reduced and are hoping to implement a new system in 3 years’ time. Local Authority areas will be allocated full time posts according to population and will be divided up into teams of shared ministry made up of clergy and laity who will be responsible for areas within the Local Authority. This could mean the reduction of one full time post in our Deanery. Parishes are struggling with finances at the moment and it is unlikely that income will go up which will make it difficult to continue at the level we are now. See article on page 20. • Parish Share remains the same in 2021. • Several churches in our Deanery have received money from the Historic England Covid Grant scheme
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CAN YOU HELP THE DIOCESE OF LINCOLN WITH THIS NEW INITIATIVE?
If you have been following news from the Diocese over the past 12 months, you will be well aware that the financial situation is not great – and that was before the pandemic took hold. Things have not improved.
One of the ways that the Diocese raises funds is through the Parish Share system. For many years, the Parish Share raised in Lincoln Diocese has been the lowest in the country, and the Diocese has been forced to rely on Capital reserves which, as a result, have dwindled. Thoughts are now turning to how this situation can be remedied, because the Parish Share system is used primarily to pay for the costs of ministry, in particular, the stipends of Parish Priests. If the Parish Share system does not raise sufficient funds, then the numbers of priests across the Diocese will have to fall.
Covenant Pastors is a new volunteer role that will assist with the introduction of the new Covenant Based approach to Parish Share. The Covenant Pastors will meet with incumbents, treasurers and church wardens in Benefices to discuss and explain the new Covenant based scheme. it allows each parish to commit to a financial pledge (a covenant) in accordance with the realities of its own current situation and its missional needs and aspirations.
The Covenant Pastor role will be key in establishing local relationships and encouraging “honest” conversations around paying for the Cost of Ministry. We are looking for people who:
• Are good communicators • Have a natural ability for pastoral care and empathy • Are locally known and respected • Have an ability to negotiate and be diplomatic • Have good listening skills
The Covenant Pastors will all be trained volunteers, lay and ordained, who are paid expenses for their involvement. They will visit parishes in pairs, one ordained and one lay person, to enable the discussions to take place. Induction, training and ongoing support will be provided to enable people to undertake all that is involved in this role.
If you are interested in being considered for this role, please contact your clergy so that your name can be put forward.
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While the current restrictions on daily life, necessitated by the pandemic, present significant challenges, the suffering and isolation many continue to face make the need for us to share God’s love with our communities greater than ever. Rather than just being a Lenten discipline, this year’s #LiveLent is a joyful invitation to make witness a normal part of the Christian life, the natural overflow of a life lived in devotion to Christ.
We witness to God’s story and the impact this has made to our story so that others might also find their story taking on new meaning in the light of God’s love.
From Ash Wednesday (17 February) to Easter Sunday (4 April), there will be six reflections for each week. Each reflection will include a short passage from the Bible, a brief exploration of the reading, and a prayer. Additionally, each week will have a unifying theme and an action to be taken during the week.
We have ordered a number of copies of the booklet which will be made available to those who express an interest. The resources will also be available through the Church of England website, where you can sign up for daily emails or podcasts. If there is sufficient interest, we can also run weekly discussion groups by Zoom to think through the material.
We do hope you will be able to join in.
Fran’s Bit
A year has gone by since I last went on retreat, and here I go again – although I am not going anywhere, the retreat is coming to me by the wonders of Zoom!
The past 12 months has thrown my creativity into a certain amount of confusion. My sewing machine has been put to good use sewing scrubs for local Care Homes, but sewing for pleasure took a back seat, even though it is very therapeutic. Although I have had time on my hands, it has
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felt strange to be enjoying myself when the pandemic is wreaking such havoc.
So, I am hopeful that this year, the retreat will reignite my enjoyment of sewing for pleasure. The theme of the retreat is ‘The Heart of God’ and I have chosen a project which will take considerably longer than 5 days, but has the added bonus of using up a lot of my very large ‘stash’ of fabrics, which are beginning to take over my sewing room.
The pattern is called ‘Boho Heart’ and it is made up of 108 different sized blocks which fit together in the shape of a heart. I will reflect on it throughout the week, but at the start it feels to me like this is a picture of everyone being different but contained within the Heart of God. This could work on so many levels.
The blocks might represent the Diocese and the Benefices within it. They might represent our Deanery Churches, and the people within them. They might represent our Churches and the Community networks we connect with. On an individual basis they might represent my family, friends and acquaintances. Whatever they represent to me, there is a basic truth about interconnectedness within the love of God which deserves unpacking. This unpacking will begin during the retreat – and might take some time, just as the quilt will!
Rev’d Joan’s Musings
Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Can you imagine those witches crouching over their cauldron giving it the occasional stir and sniffing in anticipation of the stew they were preparing. Not a very appetising Aroma from my point of view. A pleasanter picture might be the image of a bubble in the old song:- "I'm forever blowing bubbles. Pretty bubbles in the air. They fly so high nearly reach the sky, Then like my dreams they fade and die." Initially a pretty picture until the realisation of unfulfilled dreams.
So what exactly is a bubble. My dictionary states:- A bubble is a spherical or hemispherical envelope of liquid enclosing air.
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An air filled cavity in solidified liquid. Unsubstantial or visionary project. Or if you are feeling hungry what about a feast of Bubble and Squeak. Of course in these challenging times we have become familiar with the idea of a bubble as our individual support system. Let me tell you of my Christmas bubble experience.
Since April as I need to shield, I have the minimum of contact with other people except when attending surgery or hospital for blood tests or treatment so my family next door were determined that I joined them for Christmas lunch even though I hadn't been in their cottage since before the first lockdown so how did they achieve this?
A polytunnel with a clear cover was placed up to the space created by the removal of the doors leading to their garden. This was my bubble and stood on the patio with a rug for my feet and a chair draped with a furry blanket to protect me from draughts. There was a degree of ventilation but also a heater to provide warmth. I had my own table and was amused to see a cracker by my place setting wondering how to pull it on my own and then I noticed the cord attached to my cracker, it had been laid along my table, stretched across the space between my table and theirs and then tied to Tom's cracker - much hilarity ensued. The meal was delicious and it was lovely to be with Lindsay, Guy, Tom and Orla (she had undertaken Covid tests before returning home from Oxford) even if we were very safely distanced. Because the polytunnel had a clear covering it certainly felt that I was in a bubble.
A very different Christmas - Midnight Mass via Zoom which decided to go on strike half way through, being zipped into my bubble, the meal followed by a Zoom meeting with my sons who live in the Sheffield area. Different of course but a Christmas to be remembered never the less, and remembered with joy and thankfulness for the imagination and effort to make it so memorable. And the reminder that Covid 19, frequent hospital visits, and shielding cannot change the wonder the mystery of God's entering our world as a vulnerable child. Born to an ordinary woman whose experiences of motherhood mirrors that of other ordinary woman throughout the ages.
Mary gave birth in unsavoury conditions. She became a refugee when she, Joseph and The Christ child fled into Egypt. Mary loved and nurtured that remarkable child of hers and that must have brought challenges along the way . At the Wedding at Cana she demonstrated her belief and confidence in her son and then came the nightmare of standing by the cross as her son died. 18
By the time this "musing" reaches you Christmas may just be a memory and for many not a happy memory but let's hold onto the fact that in stepping into our world Jesus knew what it was like to be human and to share our hopes and fears and yet to bring love, hope and healing and the gift of salvation. The selfless care, kindness, imagination and determination demonstrated by so many adults and children since the beginning of the pandemic mirrors something of God's love for the world he created.
Recently a friend who cannot attend public worship and is housebound told me that she has found that she has more time for prayer and this is an example to follow, to hold those we love, those we have never met and never will before God. To pray for ourselves that we may have the faith, the strength and resilience to go on being faithful and trusting, kind to ourselves and others.
“It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it….”
Star trek fans will know that this was not a quote from the series but it was a quote used in “Star Trekkin”, the song that was a hit in the late 80s. So if you like quizzes, then this is one to remember! Life for all of us is very different but there are still blessings to be found. Some of the days recently have indeed been extremely cold and frosty but they have been blessed with sunshine.
It was on one of those days today that I decided I would start by multi- tasking! I would go out for some daily exercise and walk, and whilst I was doing that I would pray along the way. It was really a time of blessing, listening to the various birds in the hedgerows and really taking in the views. I suddenly realised that looking across the fields, I could see a church, and then realised I was able to see Skendleby church from Partney. Every now and again I would meet up with someone from the village and we would wave at each other and share a smile; sometimes it is the really simple things in life that can be so important, things that can only help our mental well-being.
We are all truly blessed by God to live in such a wonderful part of the country, and especially at a time of Lockdown. It is so easy to take things or granted rather than giving thanks for God’s creation. In the garden at the Rectory are some wonderful snowdrops, or should I say “Candlemas Bells” as we will soon be celebrating Candlemas. Evidence that spring will be with us soon is 19
all around us. No matter how dark and dismal things may seem at the moment, there is always hope. In Christ we have that eternal hope that will always be there no matter what the weather is like, or how we may be feeling. He is the one that can certainly bring sunshine into all our lives.
Teresa
☺ The best thing about a holiday is watching other people work!
“Resourcing Sustainable Church”
Part of a Report presented to Diocesan Synod last November The Full Report can be read on http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/index.php
Synod approved the report and we are moving towards a detailed draft plan to be published for Discussion in March in our areas and then back to Diocesan Synod for April.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY IN ORDER TO HELP PREPARE FOR LOCAL DISCUSSIONS
Our plan In November 2019, Bishop David commissioned a group of people from across the diocese to address the systemic issues we face and to see how we could build the healthy, vibrant, sustainable church we long to be.
He asked them to look at five major areas.
1. Assets – how do we ensure that what our predecessors generously bequeathed us is used to the maximum to support the work of mission? 2. Parish Share – how do we generate and grow an income from parishes that at least covers the cost of the support they receive in mission and ministry? 3. Costs – how do we provide the necessary range of support to mission in parishes, chaplaincies and projects with sufficient quality but with minimum cost? 4. Growth – how do we increase the number of people who are coming to and growing in faith and living that out in witness, worship and service? 5. Deployment – what pattern of ministers and ministry would be 20
most effective given our financial, geographic and population profile?
In January 2020, five working groups were set up to look at the five areas or levers as we have called them. Chaired by senior staff, these groups comprised over 50 people from across the diocese, including lay people, clergy and officers. In July, each group reported against clear terms of reference after considerable research, debate, reflection, modelling and prayer. Significant common mind was evidenced in the five reports. There was a desire to tackle much more than just saving money. The need to be radical was felt clearly by all the groups, and there is evidence that the majority of clergy, church officers and the general laity feel that we have reached a point where major change is desirable, or at least unavoidable. When presented to our two main governing bodies, these groups’ proposals received overwhelming support for the proposed direction of travel: unanimous support from the Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees and 93% support from an informal virtual meeting of the Diocesan Synod.
Group leaders have begun work to integrate the group reports into an initial, workable proposal for the diocese. The Autumn will be used to engage parishes with the work so far, listening to their feedback and using this to shape our plans, leading we hope to a full proposal for a way forward for our diocese to be presented at Diocesan Synod in November, with a realistic, sustainable budget for 2021.
In the next sections, we summarise the main recommendations coming from the lever groups. These proposals will be shaped into plans through local consultation and we ask for your prayerful feedback to support this process.
Headlines from our Assets Group
• Income from our investments and historic assets currently contribute about £2M annually to our income. We should seek to maintain these assets at a level that this can continue, with continued prudent working of all investments. • Short time financing during the period and programme of change will be needed. We therefore need to raise cash. To do this we will undertake serious work on our housing stock, keeping only what we actually need to deliver our vision. • Diocesan offices are provided at Edward King House. We need to explore whether to remain there or move to smaller rented premises 21
and capitalise on what we have learnt from the Covid-19 crisis about home working.
Headlines from our Parish Share Group
• We need to accept the reality of where we are, rather than set aspirational but unachievable budgets. • The income we receive from parish share is decreasing annually. Parish share falls short of direct ministry costs (clergy stipend, housing, national insurance and pension) by over £3M a year. The smallest 50% of our churches contribute only 10% of parish share. • We will move from a parish share formula approach to a ‘covenant- based system’, enabled by a team of trained ‘covenant pastors’, starting with honest conversations about a parish’s ability to contribute and the diocesan ability to provide. • The cost of a clergy person in a benefice is £55k per year, not counting any central service support. Only four benefices in the diocese contribute more than they actually receive from the diocese in terms of parish share.
Headlines from our Costs Group
• Statutory central services will be examined to find savings through shared or out-sourced provision, adjustments to personnel and amalgamation of roles. • Other central services will be evaluated for their value for money and suitability in the new developing structure. There will be ruthless conversations about the level of central support – what we need to provide and what we can afford to provide to support local mission. • We will identify and realise clear savings on the level of maintenance of properties we own. • Where possible, we want to see if some central posts can be located more out in the diocese within the teams we will build under the new structure, and have a greater variety of people holding those responsibilities in a variety of ways.
Headlines from our Growth Group
• Growth is essential to the continued life of the church. It is a necessity for a recovery plan for the diocese and is a gospel imperative. • Committed and mature disciples are the generators of growth. At all levels we need to make the making and maturing of disciples key to who we are and what we are about. Using an inverse of the 22
Coronavirus R-Factor, we need our Discipleship D-factor to be greater than 1; that is, each individual Christian should be bringing more than one other person to faith. • Growth needs planning, resources and shared commitment. We recognise the local will know best what to do for its own situation, but will support plans centrally as best we can, through training, specialist support and practical resources. • Targets and monitoring will be built into expectations for churches. We will set challenging targets and offer support to reach these.
Headlines from our Deployment Group
• Changes to the structure of deployed clergy, not just the numbers, are essential. We can no longer sustain the aspiration of moving to 153 stipendiary (paid) posts, and leaders would not be able to sustain increasing numbers of churches coming under their care through a reduction to the number of posts. • The proposed model will work towards 100 stipendiary posts or equivalent, which will still in the short term require an initial draw down from our assets of around £2M each year, and in the longer term will need share to rise by this amount to meet the gap. • In addition to the 100 stipendiary posts, we also seek to train 6 stipendiary curates a year (reduced from our current 8). • Any increase in parish share, above that required to achieve the 100 stipendiary posts, which we believe to be the minimum required to enable us to fulfil our diocesan vision, will enable us to recruit and deploy above that number to resource that vision further. • Collaborative ministry is at the heart of the proposal, with groups of stipendiary clergy, self-supporting clergy and lay ministers working collegially in diverse teams across wider geographical areas. • We will structure our deployment across the diocese around 9, what we are calling for now, Greater Ecclesial Areas (GEAs), based roughly on the 9 local authority areas. o Each GEA will be subdivided into a smaller number of, what we are calling for now, Local Ecclesial Areas (LEA). o Each LEA will have a collegial team ministry of both lay and ordained leaders, with a variety of gifts, working across the variety of settings contained within the LEA, and so will begin to address some of the issues of burn-out and isolation historically seen. o Our starting point for the allocation of stipendiary posts to a GEA will be based on population size, but we recognise there may need to be some nuancing in some areas around this. 23
o Plans for leadership, governance and responsibilities for those working within a GEA still needs work; we hope discussions in the Autumn will develop thinking in this area. • As in much of life we experience ‘multiple layers of belonging’, so we believe we should be able to do this in our churches and in our lives as Christians. Over time, we hope people will move from a mindset of having “their one church”, to a broader, richer experience of what it means to be part of the body of Christ in a particular location. • Building on our previous work as a diocese on church categorisation, within a specific LEA we anticipate different buildings will be used in different creative ways, as determined by the local areas and agreed by the relevant legal structures. Again there is much more work to do around this over the Autumn, but we want to revisit and develop our previous ideas around: o Key Mission Churches - larger churches in strategic locations, acting as a focus for mission, worship and ministry for the area. o Local Mission Churches - providing a focus for a specific community - either serving a main population centre or a community of particular interest - offering regular worship on Sundays as well as local midweek activities. o Churches unlikely to be able to sustain regular worship ▪ Might they may be locally maintained, or open for more limited worship occasions? ▪ Might we need to explore “furlough”, where a church is held for future use but would not be currently in use? After Covid- 19, we wonder if this will be helpful for a large number of our churches. ▪ For churches in this category wanting to remain open, we will explore creative financial models that might enable this to happen, including community partnerships, though there will be some statutory costs and responsibilities required in any open church, whether receiving ministry resources or not. o Where a church is unable to make any financial contribution towards its costs, we will explore the possible legal responses to this. • Within this deployment model we will continue to honour our commitment to ‘Resourcing the Urban Church’, our nationally backed SDF project seeking to see growth in our major urban centres, and commit to exploring how the mutual flourishing of our different traditions can be maintained. • We recognise that local consultation and conversation will be key to 24
developing geographical plans that support the vision for the different areas. We need to work together to build sustainable structures. • We also recognise that to move to this model will ask much of our existing clergy and lay teams. To enable us to move towards this new model of working, we will need much good will, and an openness to new ways of working, but the model aims to create more exciting and more doable jobs, with greater mutual support and resources, thus we hope clergy and their teams will embrace this opportunity for positive change.
Our hope Our vision is for a diocese that honours its inheritance, adapts to its present, and seeks God’s vision for its future.
These plans address the financial reality of the diocese. But they go much further than that. They begin us on a journey towards realising our vision for a healthy, vibrant, sustainable church by working more collaboratively, enhancing the role of lay ministry, everyday faith and the discipleship of the whole people of God, improving the wellbeing of our clergy, enabling stronger links and cooperation between support services and parishes, building a culture of generous living and addressing the issue of our stock of church buildings.
We are committed to the principles of this programme. We are confident in the recommendations made thus far and in the ability of our clergy and lay people to develop these into bold plans for each area over the coming months. We are hopeful for our future as a diocese.
Our way forward together There is a huge amount still to be done. We need to make quick progress in some areas to keep ourselves afloat. In other areas it will take longer to fully realise the cultural and legal changes required. We are seeing this as a five-year programme, but aim for the majority of structural change to be done by the start of 2023. By the end of 2025, we expect to see a leaner, fitter, growing, flourishing and sustainable diocese.
At the Diocesan Synod in November 2020, we hope to be in a position to present a much fuller plan. This will mean a realistic, sustainable 2021 budget can be presented for approval in the light of our intentions. The plan in November will not be complete or the final word
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but it will aim to present an integrated, serious approach to the range of issues and possibilities described above.,
Between now and Synod in November, we are holding a series of consultation meetings with each proposed GEA to engage parishes with the proposals, listen to feedback, and use this to shape plans. Rural Deans will support continued further local consultation to bring together proposed GEAs and develop plans for the LEAs within these. In 2021, we hope to see the beginning of new collaborative working with some embryonic new local structures. Plans for the local must come from the local, out of an understanding of the present reality and a grounding in the overall principles of the Resourcing Sustainable Church programme. For the programme to be a success, we must work together. We look forward to partnering with you on this bold journey to sustainability.
We invite you to be a part of a hopeful, positive, realistic conversation towards a healthy, vibrant, sustainable church that is part of transforming lives across the whole of our diocese. +David Grimsby
If you would like to know more about joining in with consultation meetings please contact Fr Peter initially.
The Year’s at the Spring
The year's at the spring And day's at the morn; Morning's at seven; The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn: God's in His heaven There’s hope for the world
A favourite poem from a reader, adapted from the poem by Robert Browning which appears in the play ‘Pippa Passes’, to give us all hope for the year to come. Hopefully one day we can say ‘All’s right with the world’ again.
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The Spirit of Sutterby Writing Challenge – September 2020
A picture tells a thousand words!
St John the Baptist, Sutterby and its surrounding deserted mediaeval village links us with lost people and past times but also provides very palpable links to the present day - from stones to paper, from past quill to present feather. These three photos reflect three aspects of the village: • the church nestling beneath the hill for the last ten centuries • the villager writing a will in 1770 • the barn owl who lives here now Budding authors were invited to put pen to paper and write a short story, poem or short essay of no more than a thousand words based on one of the above photos. The following is one of the winning entries…
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. John 1:5
In this place the light has burned, flickered, dimmed, but was not extinguished. The hands that built, repaired, cleaned and offered supplication are now stilled, rested.
In this place what remains? Within these time-worn, weather beaten walls what gives the light? For light there is, soft through cob-webbed 27
glass seeping into crumbling plaster. Here all is sacred, here is a metaphor for life. Life lived in light, flickering and cob-web dimmed as life so often is. Without the light, however faintly seen, there is no life.
In this place the spirit lives and visitors once more fill this space with their own light, their own lives. What does it mean? This reawakening, this rediscovery? What is this light?
In this place what cannot be ignored is love. Love of the wide Lincolnshire skies and undulating Wolds. Love of the cycle of the farming year, of fallow, plough and harvest. Love of nature in all her inspiring breadth and depth. Love of learning, of history and craft and science. Love of fellowship, the warmth of laughter, of time shared, of experience and sustenance and wisdom gained.
Deeper still and flowing under and through all, witnessed by this place is the love of God, without which all becomes a distant echo in the fading light.
Paul Day Autumn 2020 Winner ‘Past Quill to Present Feather’ Spirit of Sutterby Writing Challenge
Toynton All Saints January Draw Winners 1st No.59 J Cammack 2nd No.17 F Coles 3rd No.63 Bill Dugmore
Marden Hill Cluster January Draw Winners 1st No.1 C Thornley 2nd No.17 Mr Bonser
Happy and lucky New Year! Alf Tunnicliffe – Lottery Organiser
More Musings from Rev’d Joan
As I write this there is a rather determined blackbird perching on my window bird feeder. He is attempting to dislodge a fat ball so that it falls to the ground, this is a favourite occupation and I assume it is easier to deal with on the ground. Blue tits, long tailed tits, a robin or two, the blackbird and a thrush as well as the occasional visit from a greater spotted woodpecker bring much interest to my self-isolation. Over the 28
past few weeks I began to take a particular interest in the behaviour of these feathered friends.
What I noticed intrigued me - the feeder holds three fat balls, on the left hand side of the feeder, another on the right, the third one fits in a little basket suspended from a seed tray. At first I thought I was letting my imagination run riot. What was happening you may be wondering? It appeared that the greatest number of birds were favouring the fat ball on their right. A few would turn to their left and an even smaller number appeared to be ambidextrous. Were birds right or left handed, or more accurately right or left winged. In the absence of Chris Packham I turned to Google and discovered that birds are in fact right and left winged or footed. The things you learn during a pandemic!
St Peter & St Paul, Old Bolingbroke Grant Success
During the summer, St Peter & St Paul’s at Old Bolingbroke made an application to English Heritage under it’s “Covid-19 Emergency Heritage at Risk Response Fund. And against the odds and despite the immense competition we have been successful. So delighted. The grant amounts to £19,500 as part of a £25,000 project to implement urgent repairs and to establish surveys and reports for future work. In the whole scheme of things the monies are not huge, but it’s a great start means we are at least now nationally recognised as a church and building that requires funding to sustain it as an important community and heritage asset. And works have already started. The grant will help pay for: Debris clearance of all gutters and downpipes • Vegetation removal • Repair of stone copings, leadwork, slates • Temporary chimney stabilisation • Tower roof leadwork • Temporary part gutter replacement • In depth surveys & works specifications for future major repairs & grant applications”
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Getting the cosy out of Winter Comfort Food
The seasons during the year bring us different and delicious ingredients. One of my favourite seasons is spring. My mind gets excited by the thought of all the seeds and plants coming alive and producing fantastic flavours and colours for dishes I might conjure up.
Winter is another culinary season I favour. All you want to do, after the clocks change, and the nights draw in earlier is get settled, make a hot chocolate or open a bottle of deep red velvety wine with an open fire and snuggle. Accompanied by some ultra-tasty & divinely dive in food.
I have written about comfort food a few times in the past ‘Winter Warmers’. Having many of the dishes on various menu’s over the years, but never really wrote the recipes. In this new series of recipes, fuelled on by Covid19 lockdowns. I really miss cooking for our diners at The Red Lion Inn, Raithby-by-Spilsby. I want to take myself back & also create new exciting winter food and comforting dishes that reach out to people at this time that they can make in their homes.
I try and keep the recipes simple, trying to not to make them too ‘Cheffy’ & complicated to scare people off. Also, considering any food allergies. Using food to give people focus making my recipes and hopefully liking the end result. Helping them to stay positive and safe to try giving them a foodie hug. We all need support at this time during lockdown 3.0 and we all need a hug, doesn’t matter where it comes from.
I’m getting my foodie hug from beavering away in my kitchen developing and experimenting, which is filling my heart.
Richie Stamp Chef/Patron/Food Writer The Red Lion Inn Raithby-by-Spilsby
During this lockdown Richie will be publishing Winter Comfort Foods recipes via our e-newsletter. You can sign up for these at: https://www.redlioninn.pub/mailing-list/
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Alf – A Life Story (cont.) CHAPTER 14 A bloody tale...
Several years ago it became necessary for me to have an extensive hip operation as my hip bones had ground themselves into a ghastly mess providing much pain. So, I entered our local hospital to take advantage of their excellent record of success with this type of operation. Chunks of titanium were prepared and I duly went down to surgery with the fervent hope to get it over as soon as possible. The operation, taking some 4 hours went well, with me returned in a somewhat dozy condition to the ward for what I hoped was going to be a good cup of tea and a long kip. I was visited several times during the night by various nurses who monitored pulse, blood pressure and other medical parameters as part of post op care. I woke up early the next morning in a rosy glow, with no pain and a drifting feeling of ultimate comfort. Just then a foreign lady ward cleaner came in with mop and bucket intending, to do what she had to do before the ward got busy. Reaching my bed, she suddenly gave a shriek of alarm as her mop encountered a large pool of blood under my bed....Her shout soon bought several nurses into the room causing much panic as various nurses departed to obtain essential equipment necessary for my future well-being. A short time afterwards I was removed from my bed to be cleaned down as I was covered in blood from the waist down, some of which had run out of the bed onto the floor. It appeared that my operation wound had not closed properly and allowed an artery to leak a lot of blood, so much that the dressing could not cope. Being under the sheets the poor night nurses had no idea that this was going on. Several needles, catheters and drip bags later I was much revived after a further quick trip to theatre for a new patch-up. Speaking to the senior nurse afterwards it had been touch and go whether I had sufficient blood left to survive but anyway they soon rectified this in the nick of time. Now I go on about being protected from above, but I truly believe that timely intervention was pivotal in my recovery from whatever source it originated from... The tail end?????
One thing I must mention before closing is my enduring interest in and performance of sacred music which has the power to stimulate, calm or invigorate ones inner soul, particularly as I have great difficulty in sitting down and praying...just like that as quite often we pray for things that we want but not of necessity need, just for ourselves and not for others. My prayer times seem to have been very short and to the point, thanking god (and his friends) for delivering me onward to safety in times of strife. Naturally I have a sequence of background prayers applicable to my close 31
friends and relatives which may surface on an irregular basis where applicable. Music, particularly if played on a large church organ can be a powerful force, elevating one to heights possibly level with those obtained by illicit drugs as the wide variety of sound available are astounding, like an orchestra where you play all the instruments yourself. Music can reduce one to tears...In Stainer's Crucifixion early in the work there is a portion called The Agony. It depicts Jesus, alone and despondent, knowing he must soon die on our behalf, surveys his sleeping companions and cries "Could ye not watch with me one brief hour?" The music is tragic in tone as it seeks to express the depth of feeling by Jesus as he sinks to his lowest ebb. I hope that our little excursion into the ups (and downs) of my life whilst not representative of all the things that have happened to me during my lifetime to date have taken your mind for a short time off the subject of Corona19 If you sit down and ponder through the avenues of your memory, you may be surprised at what may come floating to the top...... Alfred T
U3A SPILSBY SPILSBY U3A MONTHLY ZOOM MEETING
DATE AND TIME: 10th February at 2.00pm SPEAKER: Alan Lavender MBE SUBJECT: Chef to four UK Prime Ministers
ALL MEETINGS WILL BE VIA ZOOM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
For further information please contact Paul on 01790 756834 or email [email protected]
Halton Holegate January 2021 100 Club winners
P Bourn M Turner S Evans
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Pandemic, by Rev. Lynn Ungar
What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down.
And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.) Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love-- for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live. --Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
MR. & MRS. GEORGE BALL FUND 2021 (HUNDLEBY)
BECAUSE OF COVID -19 THE FUND WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTED UNTIL WE ARE ALL SAFE (APRIL/MAY)
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ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT!
C L O A K R O O M T H E R O G M R I C E S N O F O R E O O M A L I B K E T H E F O O N B P E M L C R D R L O O I R M S W L A E O O A H A L L T C D S U Y A O S F N R U R F A A E E V I G Y M R T S Y D U T S O R B A T H R O O M E M O O R G N I T E E M O U O R R I S T L S E B A T H E O G M A V D T S H O W E R R O O M H O T A S U E P E U T I L I T Y G I T T H D V E S U N S P O R C H J I O E I N E D R A G A R A G E O C R O O M S A U N A E Y G S A R K Y B E C O V M O O R G N I V I L
ATTIC LIVING ROOM BATHROOM LOFT BEDROOM LOUNGE CELLAR MEETING ROOM CLOAKROOM OFFICE CONSERVATORY PLAY ROOM EN SUITE PORCH GAMES ROOM SAUNA GARDEN / ROOM SHED GARAGE SHOWER ROOM GYM STUDIO HALL STUDY LIBRARY UTILITY 34
Scotland, Submarines and the North Atlantic
Later in the 1960’s, with 3 conventional submarine commissions under my belt, I got a career move into the nuclear submarine world! First, a very rigorous academic course in nuclear science and technology, then a family move to Scotland for many years. I could spend a whole article on our developing love for the islands, highlands and the many Scots we made our life-long friends. However, we just set up home in Helensburgh on the Clyde and then I joined my first nuclear ‘boat’ in Faslane!
The new submarines were larger and more comfortable than their predecessors! They were able to stay underwater indefinitely. The have a reactor to provide a poser source for fast quiet propulsion and for the many utilities that the crew needed including breathing.
Wildlife under the sea is really very interesting and noisy, just as brilliantly described by Sir Richard Attenborough! There are, of course, other sources of sound, earth plate movements and the occasional underwater volcano rumbling on the ocean floor. There are also very clearly indicated sub ocean currents, which show themselves by quite sudden temperature changes of the passing sea water.
A couple of anecdotes to pass the time! Returning to Coulport and Faslane, after one of the early patrols, we picked up a visitor from a patrol boat in the Firth of Clyde. It was the presence of this visitor which captured the whole crew’s attention! As she descended through the conning tower, her very small hint of perfume was picked up by the ventilation system! Throughout the submarine there was a cheerful murmur of ‘woman’! The lady was an eyesight specialist from Glasgow Eye Hospital. Agnes Young was investigating any problems or changes that may have occurred after a couple of month’s exposure to artificial lighting and much reduced ‘infinity’. It turned out that she did notice that the ‘ice blue’ fluorescent tubes were probably having an adverse effect. We did change all the ‘ice blue’ tubes for ‘warm white’ ones. The calming effect was apparent thereafter – clever girl!
On each patrol we carried a selection of recently issued films. One very popular film was ‘The Graduate’. For several days after this film had done its first round of the messes there was a topical ‘quiet’ comment when the officer of the watch came into either the Control Room or the Manoeuvring Room – “Oh Mrs Robinson do you think we can just sit and talk this time?” Sinbad 35
CAPTION COMPETITION
JANUARY WINNER
‘Sorry folks Donna Nook is sealed off this year. HA.HA.’ Congratulations – John Crowhurst
Just for laughs: I ate one mince pie too many this Christmas! – Joe Hicks
“Clear off! Donna Nook is sealed due to Covid 19! No visitors Okay? SO ‘OP IT!” – June Fitz Gibbon
‘Was I forced to eat all that Christmas pudding or was I just greedy?’ - Dawn O’Connor
‘Shortages, you must be joking, I was a size 10 before lockdown.’ – Cherry Morgan
‘My excuse is the freezer broke so I had to eat it all.’ - Dennis Cooper
‘No need to blubber your request for a tablet has our seal of approval.’ – Angela Brady
FEBRUARY PHOTO
Please send your captions by 14th February to
‘Caption Competition’ The Vicarage, Church Street, Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 5EF
or email to [email protected]
Photo courtesy of The Red Lion, Raithby
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Fenwold Veterinary Practice
Caring Compassionate and Professional Care for your Pets
Boston Road Heath Road 110 High Street SPILSBY SKEGNESS MABLETHORPE PE23 5HD PE25 3ST LN12 1BG Tel. 01790 752227 Tel. 01754 767444 Tel. 01507 478182
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LOUTH PLAYGOERS Julia M. Holliday RIVERHEAD THEATRE
Visiting Chiropody/Podiatry FORTHCOMING PRODUCTIONS
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SPILSBY GOOD NEIGHBOUR SCHEME
Doing things good neighbours do…
If you need help or know of someone who would appreciate support please contact: Telephone 07716 127186 or email [email protected]
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Partney Ray Ford Church of England Carpentry & Joinery Aided
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• Beautiful rural setting on the edge of the Mob: 07776 288639 Lincolnshire Wolds Tel: 01790 754006 • Only a couple of miles from Spilsby • Distinctive Church School character 9 Winston Road, Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 5HJ • Strong links with our local community • Active Parent Association • Friendly, supportive, caring Staff and Governing Body
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Garden Machinery Kitchenware
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Let your cat stay in the comfort of its Halton Holegate own familiar surroundings when Church of England you are away from home. Primary School
Halton Holegate is a good (Ofsted “The Cat Lady” 2014) school with a friendly, family will visit your home atmosphere, encouraging children to daily while you are reach their full potential. away and attend to We are proud of our whole school your cat’s needs. community and invite you to make an appointment to look round and have a Less stressful for your cat and chat. cheaper for you than cattery fees. Head teacher – Andrew Leeman
Contact: Phone Sally, “The Cat Lady”, on Station Road, Halton Holegate, 07793 551380 Spilsby, Lincs PE23 5PB
to discuss your cat’s requirements. 01790 752 575
or visit our website: www.haltonholegateprimaryschool.co.uk
MNM Pest Management
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Family run independent company providing a personal memorial as a lasting tribute to a loved one in everlasting granite, slate, marble and stone
Visit our showroom: 110 Horncastle Road, Boston PE21 9HY Call us for a brochure: 01205 362652 or visit our website at: www.williamkent.co.uk
Betty’s Sewing Box
Vesta House, Roman Bank, Skegness (next to bingo hall)
Cushions/Curtains/Clothing
Alterations and Repairs
Tel Betty Lilley on (07593)
372104/(01790) 752071
R & P
Decorating Services All Painting and Decorating
work undertaken. Over 10 years experience.
For advice or quotation Ring Rob –
Office 01790 756877 Or Mobile 07950 244219 48
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GM Electrical
Registered Domestic
Electrician
For all domestic electrical work.
From the simplest of repairs to
complete re-wires.
Call Graham on 01754 830654 or 0791 7058230
Part P Qualified, Fully Insured.
For a friendly & professional
service.
PARKER’S FUNERAL DIRECTORS
For personal, caring and sympathetic service.
Family business established over 100 years.
Contact:
SANDRA PARKER
VICTORIA PARKER-HILL DipFD
Choice of Prepayment Plans – Private Chapels of Rest – 24 Hour Service.
16 St. John Street, Wainfleet, Telephone: 01754 880334
4 Church Street, Spilsby, Telephone 01790 754700
And 1, Sea Road, Chapel St Leonards, Telephone 01754 873035 www.ParkersFuneralDirectors.co.uk
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BOSTON ELECTRICAL SERVICES UNIT 2, COWBRIDGE BUSINESS PARK, COWBRIDGE BOSTON, LINCS PE22 7DJ
TEL 01205 350737 CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE bostonelectrics.co.uk
WE ARE A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS SERVING CUSTOMERS IN THIS AREA NOW SINCE 1985.
WE REPAIR MOST ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES FROM VACUUM CLEANERS, MICROWAVE OVENS TO COOKERS AND WASHING MACHINES.
IN OUR EXTENSIVE SHOWROOM WE HAVE ON DISPLAY ➢ over 100 fridges and freezers ➢ over 40 washing machines and dryers ➢ over 40 cookers and over 40 ovens and hobs. ➢ vacuum cleaners ➢ microwave ovens ➢ cooker hoods ➢ all colours of kettle and toaster ➢ food mixers and fryers ➢ table lamps and light fittings
WE CAN OFFER EXTENDED GUARANTEES AT VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES
DELIVERY AND CONNECTING (NOT GAS) PLUS REMOVAL OF THE OLD APPLIANCE IS FREE OF CHARGE
WE ALSO SELL • lots of different sorts of lamps including pearl light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and fittings • salt for water softeners • cooker hood filters and • spares for washing machines • plus lots of unusual bits and pieces
COME IN AND BROWSE NEXT TIME YOU ARE IN BOSTON YOU WILL FIND US FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL
Due to redevelopment we have moved to a bigger showroom, more choice, better parking and not so far to come (What used to be Ashcroft Fabrics) We also have a Murdoch Troon kitchen display in our showroom 51
BOLINGBROKE DEANERY MINISTRY http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/
Acting Bishop of Lincoln The Rt. Rev. David Court Team Vicar & Tel: 01522 50 40 90 or 01522 534701 Curate to South Ormsby Group Office: Edward King House, Minster Yard, The Rev’d Teresa McLaughlin Lincoln LN2 1PU The Rectory, Skegness Road, email: [email protected] Partney, Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 4PG Tel: 01790 752344 email: [email protected]
Archdeacon of Lincoln Assistant Curate The Venerable Gavin Kirk The Rev’d Jean Coates 01522 504039 Contact via The Vicarage, Spilsby [email protected] email: [email protected]
The Rural Dean of Bolingbroke Deanery Synod The Rev’d Canon Peter Coates Joint Chairmen: The Vicarage, Church Street, The Rural Dean and Lay Chair Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 5EF Mr. Bill Rose Tel: 01790 752526 email: [email protected] Bolingbroke Deanery Administrator & Grape Vine Editor Jane Howsam Bolingbroke Deanery Group The Vicarage, Church Street, Team Ministry Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 5EF Marden Hill, Partney, Tel: 01790 752526 Spilsby & Stickney Clusters email: [email protected] [email protected] Team Rector Mon-Fri 9.30am–1.30pm The Rev’d Canon Peter Coates (address as above). http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/ Retired Clergy The Rev’d. Joan Thornett Gardener’s Cottage, Harrington, Team Vicar Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 4NH The Rev’d Fran Jeffries Tel: 01790 754151 The Rectory, Horbling Lane, email: [email protected] Stickney, Boston, Lincs. PE22 8DQ Tel: 01205 481183 email: [email protected] Reader & Community Chaplain Mr Paul McLaughlin Tel: 01790 752344
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