Community Magazine Fleet, Gedney, Holbeach St. Marks & Holbeach
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Community Magazine Fleet, Gedney, Holbeach St. Marks & Holbeach Hurn 2020 1 No. 435 APRIL 2020 Parish Contacts The Rural Dean Revd. Rosamund Seal 01406 424989 [email protected] Authorised Lay Ministers Mr. David Smith 01406 363388 Deanery administrator – Caz Dennis – 01406 423460 [email protected] (Office hours Monday– Thursday 9.00-1.00) For all enquiries about Baptisms, Weddings and funerals Churchwardens: Fleet Peter Graper 01406 423803 [email protected] Geoff De Roux 07826 843611 [email protected] Holbeach Hurn Mr. David Baker 01406 362420 Mrs. Kay Jenkinson 01406 424428 Gedney Mr. William Webb 01406 363673 Mrs. Jill Duffey 01406 365586 Holbeach St. Marks Doris Johnson 01406 701250 Nick Worth 01406 701459 2 Useful Community Contacts The Pilgrim Hospital ………………………….. 01205 364 801 Queen Elizabeth Hospital …………………… 01553 613 613 Holbeach Hospital ……………………………… 01406 422 283 Johnson Community Hospital Spalding.. 01775 652 000 Peterborough City Hospital…………………. 01733 678000 Long Sutton Medical Centre ………………..01406 362 081 Boots Chemist Long Sutton ………………… 01406 362 331 Samaritans ………………………………………… 08457 90 90 90 National Rail Enquiries ………………………. 0845 748 495 Registrar Long Sutton ………………………… 01522 782 244 M. P. John Hayes ………………………………… 01775 711 534 NHS Direct …………………………………………..0845 46 47 Cllr Nick Worth …………………………………….07866 415688 South Holland Parish Volunteer Car Service (Mon - Fri 09:00 - 12:00 / 13:00 - 16:30) Call Sharon: 01406 366820 or 07834 634336 3 MAGAZINE EDITOR: MARK ELSOM [email protected] Copy for the magazine should be with Mark by 18th of the previous month, marked Mid Elloe Magazine. ADVERTISING EDITOR: GILL GRAPER [email protected] 01406 423803 SEE US ON THE WEB The Magazine and details of services will be put on the new church website every month so please do check there for details of what is going on in your Parish and in the Benefice. Fleet: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14562/ Gedney: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14564/ Holbeach Hurn: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14569/ Holbeach St Marks: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14564/ For all enquiries about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals please con- tact the Deanery Administrator, Caz Dennis, on 01406 423460 (office hours Mon- Thurs 9.00-1.00) For urgent pastoral issues please contact the Rural Dean – Rosamund Seal – 01406 424989 For all other enquiries please contact the churchwardens - details are in the Mid Elloe Community magazine. 4 It is hoped to produce a magazine each month which will go on the website and be emailed to as many people as possible. We hope you will under- stand that in these difficult times it may not always appear at the begin- ning of a month and the content will be reduced. People who wish to sub- mit items should still do so by 18th of the previous month. MESSAGE FROM OUR PARISHES AND THE DIOCESE It is with great sadness, but also with total understanding of the situation, that the Church- wardens, PCC members and the regular congregations in the Mid Elloe Benefice are follow- ing the Government’s announcement concerning all the restrictions on movement that have to be put in place at the present time. The following statements have been taken from letters sent from the Archbishops and Bishops to priests and church officials, and more fully explain the importance of all the measures tak- en in recent days: “Our church buildings are now closed not only for public worship, but for private prayer as well and this includes the priest or lay person offering prayer in church on their own. We must also do all that we can to provide resources and support for those who are isolated, fearful and vulnerable. But we have to do this from our homes. A number of national online resources (https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online) including weekly streamed services and daily audio, as well as additional worship provision on the BBC are there to help us, and more are on their way. Please do all that you can to point people to this content. It is also imperative that as the Church of Jesus Christ, called to offer hope and light in the darkness of this world’s ills, we maintain a praying presence for our community, though from today onwards this must happen from our hearts and from our homes. Our Church buildings are closed but the Church must continue to support and encourage our communities making use of telephones and other forms of technology to keep in touch with people and ensure pastoral care is maintained, and as shepherds of Christ’s flock we are com- mitted to making this happen. Emergency baptisms can take place in hospital or at home, though subject to strict hygienic precautions and physical distancing as far as possible. There can be no weddings in church buildings until further notice. Funerals can only happen at the Crematorium or at the graveside. Only immediate family members can attend (if the crematorium allows) – that is, spouse or partner, parents and chil- dren, keeping their distance in the prescribed way.” As it says the church building may be closed, but the church of God is always open and we hope that we can continue to bring comfort and strength to our local communities through our prayers, thoughts and practical help 5 CHILDREN’S COLOURING A LITTLE LIGHT HUMOUR IN THESE DARK TIMES! The following are misprints that have been taken from church magazines over many years: Thursday night – pot luck supper. Prayer and medication to follow This being Easter Sunday – the Rector will come forward and lay an egg at the al- tar The ladies of the church have cast off clothing and they may be seen in the church basement on Friday At the Evening Service tonight the topic will be “What is hell?” Come early and lis- ten to our choir practice Weight watchers will meet at 7.00 p.m. at the church hall. Please use the large double door at the side entrance New choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and the deterioration of some of the older ones The Rector is on holiday; massages can be given to the church secretary. For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery at the church 6 Belfry News An afternoon at St Lawrence Surfleet Saturday afternoon, February 1st and we were at Surfleet for the Annual Meeting of the Elloe District, Lincolnshire Diocesan Guild of Ringers. A most enjoyable afternoon in a well kept and interesting church. However what we see today is mainly due to the efforts of Reverend Henry Law-James, vicar from 1898 to 1932. This is the story. Gosberton church is very high Surfleet church is all awry Pinchbeck church is in a hole And Spalding church is big with foal. North prints this local doggerel in his 1882 book and, in describing the situation at Surfleet goes on to say, " all and belfry in very dirty state and seldom used" adding that "No 3 bell cracked". Well, if one looks at the spire, some six feet out of the vertical at it's highest point, "awry" is a perfect description. Like Pisa, Surfleet has it's own leaning tower. In 1897 the Bishop of Lincoln was looking for a successor to Rev. Hubert Parry who had been vicar for 50 years. The post was offered to Rev. H Law-James who, on seeing the state of the church initially refused but was later persuaded to accept at a stipend of £120 per annum-no vicarage provided and the church in a terrible mess. The rest is history for in the following 34 years the building was transformed with new seating, choir stalls, a rood screen and in 1907 a new or- gan being a few of his achievements. The bells were not forgotten, indeed not at all as Law-James was a first class bell ringer with a mathematical brain,and a very clever man. The original five bells were increased to six, eight and by 1913 to ten, the 1913 work being paid for by Law-James himself. On his death in 1932 the bells were augmented to twelve by the addition of two smaller trebles, added as a commemoration of his life's work and all remain in use today. Unusually one descends rather than ascends to the ground floor ringing room some four feet below the floor of the nave. This was to allow use of the west door, presumably partially buried because of the leaning tower. An artistic design of four wide circular steps the general impression is of the entrance to a miniature Roman Arena. Law-James died in February 1932 at the early age of 63 years and is buried close to the chancel, his headstone inscription hidden by growths of lichen but his life's work lives on for all to see and appreciate. Long may that continue. John Bennett 7 FLEET CHURCH Many thanks to everyone who has signed up for this year. To date 137 numbers are in the pot! Fleet Church 50/50 Club March Winners 1. Ann Balls No. 127 £25 2. Kian Chapman No. 38 £15 3. Sam Wray No. 18 £5 Thank you to all the people who support this method of raising funds for the church ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING This was due to take place on WEDNESDAY, 29th APRIL, at 7.00 p.m. in the Church. The formal notice giving details of this meeting is on display on the Church noticeboard in the Porch. The accounts which would have been presented at the meeting have been audited TESCO BAGS OF HELP – SOME GOOD NEWS! We are delighted to learn that one of the charities that will benefit from the Bags for Help initiative, organised by Tesco, will be St Mary Magdalene Church, Fleet.