The Online Link St. John's Hillingdon

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No. 71 Sun 1st August - Sat 7th August 2021 Registered Charity 1128058

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Your Sunday Service Link (10.30 am): In this Issue! Click on the church image above from Alan's Blog Sunday 10am or on Reading https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89481452808 ECO News Church Administrator: Nikki Bell St John's Histories Email [email protected] Prayers Text/Phone 07972 618584 Notices Vicar: Alan Bradford Email [email protected] Emergencies Text/Phone: 07847672599

St. John's Church, Royal Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3QP www.stjohnshillingdon.org.uk

It’s all been happening at Church!

It’s the Tuesday following our Summer Fayre as I write this. It’s all been happening at church! On Saturday, as you most of you will know, we had a Summer Fayre which was planned for the outside in the gardens although we moved it inside due to the bad weather forecast and the likely heavy rain/thunder storms.

It was a great event and we were very encouraged with the number of visitors and the atmosphere In church. It was lovely that our new Mayor, Roy Chamdal, was able to open the Fayre and that his wife, Mayoress Rita Chamdal, was able to be with us too. Church members worked so well on the stalls and engaging with the visitors, and it was good to see all ages present. We are pleased that we took in £1361 in total on the stalls and the online draw-ticket sales. THANK YOU to everyone who helped organise, served on a stall, delivered leaflets, contributed bottles/plants/items, engaged with the visitors, sent in donations, set up/cleared away, came and spent some money, prayed for us or in whatever way you helped. It was a great team effort that made it a success.

Then on Sunday it was great to see more of you coming back to church as our in-person attendance increases following the further lifting of restrictions. You no longer need to book to come to one of our services. We are asking people to wear a mask as we are indoors.

Today (Tuesday), we had visitors from Sheffield from the company “Vertex Access” who have been abseiling down our tower to examine the structure. They have also come to take a good look at the state of all the tiled roofs. This is all a part of a number of surveys we are having done as we gather together condition reports and costings so we know how much to ask for in a big grant bid to repair and renew our church, both inside and out. Our QI Alex Veal also came along as part of these high level surveys. There was also workmen in today looking at our outside telecoms cabinet with a view to the upgrades that will be taking place for Vodafone/02. We also welcomed back the Tuesday Jazz Group and we had visitors to the church. Busy. Busy! Keep praying & see you soon, Alan.

It was great last Wednesday to open the new Fish and Chip shop opposite the church. Then the treat of a free meal! Thanks to Rashpalsingh, Satveer and all at The Village Fish & Chips. We will be supporting you as a church and wish you all the best in your new business.

New Teaching Series Book of Colossians Week 3: Jesus only Jesus! Nothing added, nothing taken away! Colossians 2:8-23 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Nature Table When I was at Primary school we always had a nature table in the classroom. We could bring in any natural object that we may have found on our way to school or from our gardens and sometimes from a walk. It created an awareness of the natural world and children could see and touch the objects. It was at school that I gained my interest in wild flowers as we were at that time encouraged to collect them, nowadays it is only advisable to draw or take a photo of a wild plant as we need to protect all wildlife. Thinking of this though ,I realised that I still gather things from my walks and holidays by the sea. The things I collect are the dead and dried natural objects that turn up on a beach or footpath, such as feathers, seed heads, small pieces of wood, seaweed or stones. I use many as inspiration for my artwork. They also remind me of the places that I have visited and the type of habitat found there so each group of objects is unique. Looking and observing the wild life around us can bring us closer to nature and help us to respond and give thanks to God for creation. To wonder at the variations, growth patterns, shapes and life to be found around us. Maybe a nature table or something similar would help us all to reconnect with the natural world and realise that all things with life have equal importance, we all share the same planet. Christine Rodrigues

Pagham Harbour Ramsgate Seafront

Uxbridge Man Receives Huge Honour! Tucked away in a dark corner by the stairs up to the Grundon Room is the brass memorial to William Gomersall. This is the inscription: Here lyeth the body of William Gomersall. Late citizen and ironmonger of London who changed this mortal life the first day of July in the year of our Lord 1597. In full and perfect hope of a joyful resurrection and left behind him one son and 2 daughters. Above this inscription is his coat of arms which was granted in 1568. The primary use of heraldry was to distinguish knights from one another when they were clad in armour. The right to bear a coat of arms was only really for the nobility and it had a definite meaning and social value, so William Gomersall being granted a coat of arms would have been a huge honour for him and his family. In 1970 a study was made of the brasses at St John’s by Mr H Cameron for the Monumental Brass Society. As well as a full description of each brass, Mr Cameron also researched the lives of those remembered. For William Gomersall, he provides details of the will from the National Archives. According to Mr Cameron, William was a successful merchant and liveryman of the City of London. He owned property on Deptford Strand and Uxbridge. One of the bequests in the will was as follows: “two tenements under one roof next to the new churchyard at Uxbridge, with their gardens and orchards, as now divided. The one occupied by one Goodden is to be given to Margaret More the wife of John More for her lifetime at annual rent of one peppercorn. Margaret More also received a wool bed with a whole and sound coverlet and 3 pairs of whole and sound flaxen sheets” I wonder what you might say today at receiving a bequest of someone’s bed and all the bedding! Christine Bartlett

William Gomersall Memorial

For Stephen Aiton and Kayley Foster as they have their banns read for the second time this Sunday.

Lord, we pray that as Stephen and Kayley make their final preparations for their wedding day, not only will their love for each other grow stronger, but they would become more and more aware of your great love for them. Amen

This Sunday 1st August: Short Service with bring-your-own picnic at 12.30pm There will be a short service this coming Sunday at 12.30 pm with communion and the opportunity for informal prayers. Bring a picnic to eat outside afterwards.

Hands, Face, Space. Please continue to protect each other.

St John's Services.

You will no longer need to book to come to services. We will still use the one way system on entry and exiting. To improve ventilation doors will be left open during services. Please still bring a face mask with you unless you are exempt. We will have hand sanitiser available, you can also bring your own. We will be cleaning regularly after each service. We will not be serving refreshments at the moment.

The Love Summer Festival opened on the 24th July 2021. There will be a range of activities in Uxbridge Town centre for all ages to enjoy right up to 28th August 2021. Including live bands, birds of prey, bubbleologist, animatronics, Gin bar, food and the street market. For more information visit Love Uxbridge | Events | Love Summer Festival – July 22nd to August 28th!

Outdoor Tea Dance on Wednesday 4th August The Fassnidge Memorial Trust and Love Uxbridge will be hosting an afternoon Tea dance for the over 65's on the forecourt of the Civic Centre on Wednesday 4th August at 2pm-5pm There will be a swing band and professional dancers to enjoy. Tea will be served at 3:15pm. If you would like tickets please email: [email protected] or call 01895 830706.

At St John's we are very fortunate to have a fantastic team of people who work very hard to make sure St John's is at its best all the time. In particular our Welcomers, Gardening and Cleaning Teams. I would like to firstly Thank everyone involved in these teams. We always receive such wonderful feedback from visitors and the local community.

If you would like to join one of the teams then please do get in touch with me. We always welcome extra help. Nikki

" None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can do small things, with great love and together we can do something wonderful." - Mother Teresa

How to join the Sunday service from your landline/mobile (without Internet) - Dial 020 3481 5237 or 020 3051 2874. - Enter meeting ID Code 894 8145 2808 then the # key - You will be asked to enter your participants' ID. Ignore this, and just press # key - There is no password. If you are asked for one, then just press the # key.

CHEQUES STANDING ORDER Payable to: Set up a Standing Order with your bank or Hillingdon Parochial Church Council building society using these details: St. John's Church Barclays Bank, 142 High St, Royal Lane Uxbridge, UB8 1JX Uxbridge Sort Code: 208916 UB8 3QP Account No: 20465615

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