Chronicle JUNE 2021 THE MAGAZINE FOR

Find us via https://www.achurchnearyou.com The first fundraiser after lockdown! Getting ready to serve teas and cakes at the Open Garden last month at Lodge. It wasn’t the best of days, and at times the rain was torrential, but there was a good turnout, and the teas raised over £600 (with the sale of a few plants) for Middleton and The Marsh churches. We are very grateful to Samantha and Adrian for inviting us to take part, and to everyone who worked so hard on the day (and, of course, to everyone who came). ------

Getting ready to serve! Cowslips in Leighton churchyard - see page 7,

“Valuing our Churchyards”. 1

THE HILLS GROUP OF is part of the Group Ministry, and comprised of the parishes of Chirbury, Marton, Middleton w Corndon Marsh, & Leighton. Rector: Revd Bill Rowell (01938 552064 or 07711 298104, [email protected]). Hon Assistant Priest: Revd Eric Brazier (01938 561450, [email protected]). At each church, contact the wardens as follows: Chirbury - Tony Sheppard (01938 561268); Marton - Maureen Jenkins (01938 561645); Middleton - Kay Yeates (01938 561640 or Emma Bailey-Beech (01686 669971); Trelystan - Janet Jones (07967 312460) or Rod Stevens (01938 580645); Leighton - John Markwick (01938 555043).

CONFIRMATION CLASSES - Revd Bill is hoping to hold confirmation classes beginning in the autumn, for children aged at least 11 next birthday and for adults. Confirmation admits the candidates to communicant membership of the church congregation, as they personally confirm the promises made for them by parents and godparents at their baptism. Those who have not been baptized can also come to confirmation classes, and would then be baptized prior to (or at) the service of confirmation. Please ask if you’d like to know more. St Podwell’s OUR COVID PRECAUTIONS - All our churches are aiming to be as Covid secure as possible; these are the rules we’re applying: As far as possible avoid touching door furniture and other surfaces as you enter and leave the church, and do make use of the hand gel provided. Please leave contact details and/or scan the QR code if you have the NHS app. We still need to maintain 2 metre social distance in church (this is further than you might think), and to wear masks unless you have a personal medical reason not to. Until we’re allowed to sing during worship, we’ll continue to use recorded versions of hymns. Should you experience symptoms that might be Covid within a week after attending service, or you have a positive Covid test, please “I’m getting a bit tired of our inform us straight away by contacting the Rector or Vicar’s laissé-faire attitude to a church warden. These rules apply for public worship, at funerals or if you enter church for any our need for roof repairs!” other reason, including for private prayer. Please note that these rules continue to apply even if you have had your full Covid vaccinations - and some restrictions are sure to remain in place as things begin to open up. 2

SERVICES AROUND THE GROUP IN JUNE

DAY TIME CHURCH SERVICE______

6th - Trinity 1 9.30 am Leighton Holy Communion 11.15 am Chirbury Holy Communion

13th - Trinity 2 9.30 am Marton Holy Communion 11.15 am Chirbury Morning Worship 11.15 am Middleton Family Service 3.00 pm Trelystan Holy Communion

20th - Trinity 3 9.30 am Middleton Holy Communion 11.15 am Chirbury Holy Communion 11.15 am Leighton Morning Worship

27th - Trinity 4 9.30 am Marton Holy Communion 11.15 am Leighton Holy Communion 3.00 pm Trelystan Service of the Word 6.30 pm The Marsh (See below)

The simple service sent round each week and recorded on Youtube will continue. If you don’t yet receive this and would like to, please contact [email protected], and the Rector will be glad to add you to the mailing list. The service can be accessed from the “A Church Near You” site for each church on the web. The Rector will also continue to send a “Hymn of the Week” with a short commentary to everyone on the list.

Forest Church . . . at Midsummer The Rector writes . . . Our Forest Church series of worship activities this year began with two services on ROGATION SUNDAY (9th May), at 11.15 am at Middleton, in the “Family Service” slot, and at 3.00 pm at Trelystan. The weather was a bit mixed, to say the best of it, but we were still able to leave the confines of the church building in order to pray together as we looked across the fields and listened (especially at Middleton) to the birdsong. Forest Church this month will be our long-established service at Mitchell’s Fold stone circle. This will take place on Sunday 27th June, at 6.30 pm, and replaces the normal “4th Sunday” service at The Marsh. Everyone is very welcome!

MORNING PRAYER Revd Bill will continue to say Morning Prayer in Chirbury on Wednesdays and Leighton on Thursdays, both at about 10.30 am. You will be welcome to join him if you’re around. Through the week he will be saying the daily office in the other churches of the group, but not at set times.

3

Nature Notes . . . A Stroll along the Severn After what may have been the driest April on record, we seemed to have encountered the wettest May! But on one Friday afternoon halfway through the month, I happened to be in on a wonderfully dry and sunny afternoon, ideal for a walk along by the river. It didn’t last, of course, and by evening we were back in monsoon conditions, but it remained bright and sunny for the whole of my stroll.

There’s always plenty to see by the river - and to hear at this time of the year, as the birds were all singing to the sun. In the past I’ve seen kingfishers right in the middle of town, but there were far too many people about for that. Ducks quacked and moorhens peeped, and the house sparrows were chirping and chirruping energetically from the bushes by the path; there were blackbirds everywhere, too. I walked down to the weir, where despite the rush of the water a song thrush could be clearly heard.

Continuing on, and passing under the ring road, I came to a quieter stretch, not so much walked. The sun after so much damp weather was raising a heady scent of may blossom and cow parsley, enough almost to take your breath away, and among the songs were willow warbler, chaffinch, blackcap and chiffchaff, while just ahead of me a bullfinch alighted briefly on the hawthorn, with his deep pink breast, slate grey back and black head and tail looking almost tropical in the bright sun.

A mute swan had kept me company for some distance as I walked. I was walking fairly briskly, but he was doing no work at all - the river was reasonably high, and moving at a fair lick. Eventually he decided that, even so, it wasn’t fast enough, and he took off, splashing his way into the air then just flying a hundred yards or so downstream before settling back on the water. Before that, though, he had passed close to a cormorant sitting on an overhanging bough and looking absolutely resplendent in his Spring clothes. Cormorants can at times look a bit tatty, but this one was so bright and glossy he might have come straight from the spray shop. Along this section of river is a section of sandy bank cut away by winter floods, where I’ve seen sand martins nesting previously. There were none this year, though - sand martins seem to move quite frequently to new suitable nesting sites as they open up, which they do. The river is always changing; every Spring it has a new geography.

I walked up from the river bank to turn back along the line of the old , now little more than a damp channel filled with marsh plants. There were more people here, but still plenty of birds, including a bold swallow the flew fairly low over our heads as I was passing a family group, and a heron that lifted from a nearby patch of pasture. There were butterflies too - orange tips (only the male has the orange, and they are very active as they search for the shyer white females) and speckled woods, mid-brown with buff spots. All too soon, though, I was back at the busy roadside, still smelling the may blossom, but no longer able to hear the birdsong. WKR 4

DEANERY THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH - FROM MARK HACKNEY

Writing this in the week of Ascension I am drawn towards Matthew 28: 19 & 20 where Jesus gives His disciples their final instructions before leaving them. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Part of my role as Intergenerational Missioner is to make disciples which for me means growing. On Tuesday evenings 25 of us meet together on zoom to grow as disciples, and we are growing towards becoming a group of disciples that will grow new disciples. The great thing is that we do this together, helping each other and being a support to one another in the process.

In September we are aiming to run 2 Alpha courses, both on the same day, which we are praying will be in person in the day and on zoom in the evening. On Tuesdays we are encouraging each other to be praying for 3 people that we know and invite them to Alpha. I would like to extend that invitation out to everyone, either to join us for the Alpha course or start praying for 3 people you can invite to Alpha as well. We see this as an amazing opportunity for us all to ‘Go, and make new disciples’.

At the moment we are doing the “Discipleship Explored” course but on 8th June we will be starting something new, so why not join us all on Tuesdays as we continue to grow as disciples and get ready for the Alpha course. Just contact me on 07593 817684 and I will give you more details.

God Bless - Mark Hackney

NEWS FROM CHIRBURY - Thank you to those who joined Harriet Carty from “Caring For God’s Acre” on Monday 10th May or attended our site meeting on Wednesday of that week, as we thought about how we can develop both church and churchyard at St Michael’s. During June we shall be letting the grass grow in some parts of the churchyard to benefit wildlife, and a team will come in and help cut it in the high summer (in hayfield style). WE WILL NEED HELP AT THAT STAGE! Please note that the areas where graves are visited and tended will continue to be regularly mowed and kept neat and tidy. And we are very grateful to our regular team of volunteers who take on the task of mowing what is a very large area of grass! We shall also be developing a quiet PRAYER CORNER in the church during the month. And, because it’s important that everyone knows what’s being planned, and can have their say, please look out for a questionnaire too this month, and let us know what you think, and what you’d like!

5

From the Archdeacon of

This is the first time I’ve written one of these articles since I moved to south and was collated as Archdeacon of Ludlow at the end of April, so I’d like to begin by thanking you for the very warm welcome my family and I have received among you here in the archdeaconry and the wider diocese. Moving house during a pandemic was a challenge, but we were well supported all the way, not least by the prayers of those in both dioceses: St Albans and Hereford.

Like you, I’m hopeful that we may now be entering a time where the necessary restrictions under which we’ve lived for the past year will ease, and I can get out and about more to visit parishes, beginning to get to know the clergy and people in our schools, churches, and wider communities.

You may be wondering what my hopes and prayers for the coming years are. In many ways they’re summed up in the reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians which was read at my collation: ______

“I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” - Ephesians 3:16-21

______

I long that each of us in the churches across the diocese may know the fullness of the love of God in Christ ourselves, and may be equipped and inspired to share that love with those around us in our homes, families, schools, workplaces, and places of leisure. I pray that this faith and love will fill you, and our churches, villages, and towns.

A tall order? Maybe. But at the end of the passage, we’re reminded that God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. That’s the grounds for my confidence, as together we move on and out in faith, filled with hope, to share the love of Christ with our lips and our lives. The Venerable Fiona Gibson ______SECRET ART SALE - A reminder that Emma Bailey-Beech is still collecting pieces of art and craft work to include in her sale this Autumn. Contact her on 01686 669971. An exhibition of all the items is planned in Chirbury Church at a date still to be set. 6

VALUING OUR CHURCHYARDS - 5th to 13th June is being kept as an extended week to reflect on the value of our churchyards, and, tied in with that, there’s a project this year called “Churches Count on Nature”, encouraging us to do nature counts, or to do things that will help our churchyards become species-rich safe places for wild creatures. We will be taking part in some way, but dates are not yet fixed, so please see church notices and boards, or contact Revd Bill. ALL THE FUN OF THE (TRADITIONAL COUNTRY) FAIR - Please note a couple of dates in July when we’ll be holding traditional fairs. More details in next month’s magazine and on notice boards as posters go round, but Trelystan Fete is planned for 17th July in the churchyard and hall, and a country fete for Middleton is planned for 24th July in the grounds of Tumbledown House, Priest Weston (both 2pm to 5pm). OPEN GARDEN - Caroline Slowik's wildlife garden at Homeleigh, Lower Lane, Chirbury is open by appointment from May to September in aid of Shropshire Historic Churches and St. Michael's, Chirbury. This is a well established verdant organic garden with plenty of roses, herbaceous flowers and a pond. Also a small woodland area. Lots of wild birds and there is a parrot, too. Entrance £7.50, which includes tea and cake. Please ring 01938 561 658 or email [email protected]. CARVING BY CANDLELIGHT - The Rector has put together an illustrated talk on the remarkable carvings at Middleton Church, and the vicar who produced them, Waldegrave Brewster. He is happy to take this to local groups and meetings, in return for a donation to church funds. Meanwhile, Betty Mulroy’s little book on the subject is being updated and (here and there) corrected, and should soon be on sale again in the church. MOWER SHED MADE SAFE - The mowers used in Chirbury churchyard are housed in an old shed that will once have held the funeral bier. It had become quite unsafe over the years, and overdue for repair. The most important work, though, has now been done, and the doorway is no longer in danger of collapse. We are grateful to Maldwyn Colley for his expertise, aided by Iain and others. A FULL STRENGTH DEANERY CLERGY TEAM AT LAST! - The Revd Greg Roberts will be licensed as the new incumbent of the Ford Group on 22nd June, thus bringing our clergy team up to strength for the first time in quite a while. Numbers will still be limited, so attendance at Alberbury Church (where Bishop Richard will also be blessing their new porch) will be by invitation only. But do please hold Greg in your prayers as he moves from Peterborough to take up his new appointment. CAR PARKING AT TRELYSTAN - The car park at Trelystan Church has gradually grassed over in recent years, and has become a bit slippy, especially in the winter months. Work should take place this month to re-surface it, users will be pleased to hear. Trelystan church is open each day between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm.

7

This report from the Church of is subtitled “Christian teaching and learning about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage, and if designed to begin and facilitate a process of discussion at every level of the Church.

There is a diversity of understanding and opinion on these matters within both the wider Anglican Communion and the itself - so through this Summer and Autumn every church is asked to engage with the debate, and the aim of the report is not so much to provide answers as to enable a period of discussion. More in the next magazine about how we might do this here. ORGANISTS NEEDED - We are in need of people to play the organs in our churches. We are little country communities, and don’t need immense professional skill - but it’s much nicer to have live music than recorded, and our instruments need to be played! Please let Revd Bill know if you’d like to have a try. ANNUAL MEETINGS - Our last two annual meetings this year have strayed into June, and they are Mondays June 7th at Leighton, and June 14th at Marton. Both meetings will be in church, and begin at 7.00 pm. The annual parochial church meeting is for everyone, not just for PCC members; please join us if you can. And on Monday 28th June there is a meeting of Middleton PCC at the Marsh Chapel (7.30 pm). WEDDINGS - Many of the weddings scheduled for this year have been postponed because of the continued uncertainty about what will be allowed, and that includes all those set for June. However, there are still quite a few through the months July to September! Our wedding registers, though, are no longer in use. The system of registering weddings has changed, and all certificates are now issued by the County Registrar, once a Wedding Document signed at the service by bride and groom and witnesses has been sent in. Another change is that details of both parents can now be included, plus step-parents if wished. Once they have been formally closed by the registrar, our copy registers should be returned to each church so we’ll still have records of past marriages, and a new wedding register, similar to those used for baptisms and burials, will be obtained for each church as required by the Church of England. NEXT MONTH’S MAGAZINE - Notices, ideas and articles to the Rector by Sunday 20th June, please. It would be good to have more material from around the parishes!

8