www.stmaryswexham.co.uk September 2021 Parish News Price 50p Rector: Due to Covid-19 there are restrictions on use of Rev’d Andrew Parry 07972 142 073 the Church Hall some organizations are not able [email protected] to meet there at the present time. Licensed Lay Minister: MEN’S FELLOWSHIP meets for a meal and discussion Mrs J Bell 07812741279 on the last Thursday in each month. [email protected] Contact Paul Horth—[email protected] Churchwarden: MONDAY CLUB for elderly people Miss V Clayton [email protected] Mondays 2p.m.to 4 p.m. Contact Anne Davies 01753 518232 PCC Treasurer: Mr B Edwards 01753 527410 BINGO CLUB: Mondays at 8.00 pm Contacts: Mrs L Shelley 01753 771834 PCC Secretaries: Mrs C Elderfield; Mrs Y Hickman Mrs C Donaldson 01753 712974 Parish Magazine Editorial Team: TIDDLERS TODDLER GROUP: Rev’d Chris Collinge [email protected] Thursdays 10.00 am - 12 Noon Mrs Jill Bell [email protected] Leader: Mrs L Galvin 07957967928 NORMAL SUNDAY SERVICES BROWNIE GUIDES: Thursdays 6.30 pm - 8.00 pm Please note that due to Covid-19 these services Leader: Tracey Hassell 07305277569 are not following our usual pattern. See Calendar page opposite for details. FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S: 8.00 am—Holy Communion - Common Worship Contacts: Mrs L Shelley 01753 771834 Traditional Language (said) Mrs C Donaldson 01753 712974 10.00 am— Holy Communion - Common Worship Contemporary Language LOCAL CONTACTS: WEXHAM COURT PARISH COUNCIL: (Slough, Berks, part of St Mary’s Parish) YOUNG CHURCH AND CRECHE: Clerk to the Council Adil Iftakhar 07803 208 556 10.00 am in the Church Hall [email protected] Leader: Mrs S Horth 01753 551511 WEXHAM PARISH COUNCIL: (Wexham and George Green, Bucks, part of St Mary’s Parish) DIRECT GIVING: Clerk to the Council: Mrs Angela Galvin 01753 644887 If you would like information on our Direct Giving scheme, or Gift Aid, please contact WEXHAM, BUCKS, RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION: Mr B Edwards 01753 527410 Chairman: Mr G Spring, 4 Brookside, George Green 01753 536977 CHURCH FLOWERS: For Wedding flowers and arrangements for special ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL - 01753 693461 occasions, please contact www.stmaryswexham.co.uk Mrs J Boot 01753 520296 The PCC and the editorial team reserves the right to edit and shorten submitted material. Advertisers in the magazine are not necessarily known to the editorial team and the appearance of an advert does not carry an implied endorsement. ORGANISATIONS St Mary’s is an Anglican parish church which seeks to proclaim the Christian faith by sharing the love of Christ with those who enter its buildings and with all who live within the communities of Wexham and George Green. 2 We are now back to our normal pattern of services in church at 8am and 10 am on Sundays. The church is cleaned between the 8am and 10 am services. Although restrictions have been eased we ask that you continue to wear masks, adopt social distancing and use the hand sanitising as you enter the buildings. Tea and coffee are now served after the 10 am service in the church hall You can sign up for the Mailchimp on our website www.stmaryswexham.co.uk and then you will get notifi- cations of the services and details of any alterations to our programme plus the YouTube link for the filmed services. 4th September 19th September Trinity 16 1030 am to 12 midday 8.00 am Holy Communion Wellbeing Coffee Morning in the service in Church Church Hall 10.00 am Holy Communion service in Church 5th September Trinity 14 10.00 am Young Church in 8.00 am Holy Communion Church Hall service in Church 10.00 am Holy Communion service in Church 10.00 am Young Church in Church Hall 12th September Trinity 15 8.00 pm Holy Communion 26th September Trinity 17 service in Church 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.00 am Church for All Service in Church 10.00 am Holy Communion service in Church 10.00 am Young Church in Church Hall DEADLINE FOR THE OCTOBER PARISH MAGAZINE: Material for October Parish Magazine must be with the Editorial Team by 23rd September Magazines will be available from Sunday, 2nd October 3 Rector’s Rambles Oh the irony! Two days before the “great unlocking” I was working on my sermon for the next day and saw a notification on my phone. It was from the NHS Test and Trace app. Apparently I had been in the vicinity of a person who had tested positive for Covid and that I must self-isolate for 6 days. A bit annoying. Especially as we had our big annual church meeting on the Sunday. I was- n’t too concerned about that, as the PCC members are quite capable of doing what is re- quired. It was more that it was galling to realise that, after a year of visiting and being out and about, I would be locked away for the great unlocking. I suppose I could have found some inventive way around my isolation. I don’t know, per- haps to say that the advice was just advisory; or that I was going to sign up to some pilot scheme which would mean I need not isolate. But that wouldn’t be right. I’ve been spending a lot of the last year asking people to abide by measures which are uncomfortable, unusual, and quite intrusive. And people have been abiding by them. We have all, over the past year, done things we would rather not do, and we have done them, mostly, for the sake of others. Some of those we will be removing, some not. As I write this, we have opened up slightly, started to offer refreshments again after the 10am service; reduced the spaces between pews; asked the choir to sing again. But at the same time, we will continue to ask people who come into our buildings to wear masks; we will be cautious about congregational singing; we will not share the commun- ion cup. And we will do all this, yes to avoid the “ping”, but mostly, out of consideration for each other. We have all lost a lot this past 18 months. Some have lost loved ones, some have lost op- portunities, some have seen their health deteriorate during the isolation. Some have lost the desire to go out, to mingle. But that loss is not the final story, the last word. There is life! Andrew Parry 4 Puzzle from David MacIsaac ANSWER TO JULY PUZZLE 1. GYRATED 2. RIN TIN TIN 3. ERNIE 4. MUNCHKINS 5. LILITH 6. INUITS 7. NEW ZEALAND 8. SMELL (The accident in a car caused him permanent loss of smell) The Capital letters of these should give you GREMILINS for the film. This Months Puzzle. What 5 letter word can go after the following to make 6 new words? OUT FIRE DAY WIND HEART TEA Smile Lines from Parish Pump Why is it that everyone can remember their childhood phone number, but can’t remember the password they set up yesterday? A man went into a drop-in medical centre where the diag- nosis was done by a computer. The patient keyed in his symptoms. The machine whirred and buzzed for a few seconds and then presented its findings on the screen. It said simply: “There’s a lot of it about.” 5 I hope you have had a lovely school summer holiday break and I look forward to hearing all about it when you return to Young Church in September. 5th September There is no Young Church this Sunday. 12th September Today we will celebrating Harvest so there will be Church for All Cafe Harvest at 10am in the hall. Come with your family and friends and enjoy worshiping in a fun way, with singing, snacks and refreshments plus activities. 19th September This Sunday there will be Young Church in the hall where we will hear about who is the greatest and how we can love God and others. We will make some hear shape biscuits and some key rings. 26th September Today in Young Church we will talk about being part of God’s family and how we can serve God and other people. We will make some, Be happy cards and a cup and saucer sweet craft. AT THE CHURCH FOR ALL—HARVEST CAFÉ CHURCH on 12th September at 10 am we will be collecting for Slough Homeless Our Concern (SHOC) and the Slough Foodbank . Non perishable food items will be going to the Foodbank and if you would prefer to donate cash that will go to SHOC. Both organisations have ex- perienced a spike in demand for their services. The Foodbank are currently asking for Long-life milk, Tinned fruit, Tinned meat (stewed steak, mince, chicken in sauce) , Jam, Long-life fruit juice, Long-life sponge puddings, Coffee (small jars), Pasta sauce, Toiletries, and Washing Up Liquid but they have a 12 month sup- ply of pasta and baked beans 6 Lydia Simmons OBE Photograph courtesy of Baylis Media Ltd This happy photograph of Lydia Simmons shows something of the vivacity and energy and joy she has given to the people of Slough. First nominated to be mayor in 1983 and serving from 1984/1985 she became the United Kingdom’s first black mayor. She had already experienced a “first” however by becoming Slough’s first black councillor in 1979. She served as a councillor for 23 years. During that time much of her focus was on housing, so it is fitting that a new de- velopment in Elliman Avenue is named Lydia Court.