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FEBRUARY 2020 All Saints’ Church Parish Magazine LEEK WOOTTON LINK Leek Wootton | Guy’s Cliffe | Hill Wootton | Chesford | Goodrest | Wedgnock | North & Middle Woodloes LEEK WOOTTON LINK | FEBRUARY 2020 the GiftAid form. EDITORIAL We would reiterate that all donations Welcome to the February issue of The made are used only for publication and Link. distribution of The Link and, whilst the How time flies! After our very Church owns the magazine, it is successful annual appeal for donations supported by the Parish Council and is last year, which saw us double the the primary route for all community 2018 appeal total, it is the time, once news and information, which thanks to again, to ask for your support; you will your support continues to be free! hopefully have received a bright blue We very much hope you continue to envelope with your magazine giving full enjoy The Link and will give what information. Of course, we can’t send support you can. our eLink recipients an envelope, so Helen & Lesley Eldridge they will have received a PDF copy for The Editorial Team Cover Image: February 2019 All Saints’ Church WHO’S WHO? Vicar Readers Jim Perryman t : 850610 Audrey Rowberry t : 851498 The Vicarage, 4 Hill Wootton Road 7a The Meadows e : [email protected] Nigel Stallard (see left for contact) Church Wardens Secretary to the PCC Jonathan Kingston t : 851181 Eileen Clayton t : 855124 32 Hill Wootton Road 2 The Hamlet Nigel Stallard t : 850548 Treasurer to the PCC Reading Room Cottage Church Lane Iain Wilton t : 07771 664185 4 Croft Road Articles for The Link: If there is anything you would like to include, please email [email protected] The deadline for editorial submissions for the MONTH issue is: FRIDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2020 Advertisements for The Link or for www.leekwoottonchurch.co.uk: 1 WEEK IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN SUBMISSION DEADLINE Via email to [email protected] or call Jim Perryman on 01926 850610 Would you like to receive The Link by email? Please email [email protected] and request your email copy Back issues of The Link are available to view online at: https://express.yudu.com/library/82141/LeekWootton-amp-GuysCliffe-s-Library 2 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | FEBRUARY 2020 FROM THE VICARAGE (Part I) Love, Pancakes and Ash – why is February a little different? Good old Saint Valentine, the patron saint of Love (and greetings-card manufacturers perhaps!), gives us a reason to get all smoochy and sentimental on February 14th every year – a wonderful antidote to the usually grotty weather of the time. This Saint Valentine (there are apparently a dozen or so through the ages), was a third-century bishop in central Italy, who was martyred around 270AD. Stories related to him suggest that, against the orders of the Emperor, he helped Christians to get married thus, by law, saving the husbands from having to go off to war. While under house arrest, he is said to have displayed the love of Jesus to the judge and his family, including successfully praying for the healing from blindness of his daughter, leading the judge to become a Christian, along with all his household, and resulting in the freeing of many other Christians who were in prison for their faith. Incurring the Emperor’s anger, Valentine was condemned and (it is suggested) wrote a final note to the healed girl signed ‘from your Valentine’. Apparently, it was a 14th-century poem by Geoffrey Chaucer that actually ‘invented’ the concept of the modern Valentine’s Day as a special day for lovers. For reasons best know to history, Saint Valentine is also the patron saint of Beekeepers and people with epilepsy! At least he does appear to have been a real person, whatever the actual truth around the stories attached to the Saint. Pancakes and ash aren’t an obvious mix (not unless your pancake ends up in the fire when you toss it!) yet they are both expressions of the same annual event – the beginning of the season known as Lent – which has strong links too with the theme of love. This period of 40 days ending Palm Sunday (or ending Easter Eve by not counting Sundays, depending on your tradition) has, for centuries, been recognised as a time of fasting and prayer to focus on self-examination and repentance in the period leading up to the holy times of Good Friday and Easter. Jesus submitted himself to death on the cross to free us from the prospect of eternal death, the result of our sin separating us from God’s love. He freely, lovingly and willingly gave up his sinless life to death in our place, before displaying the truth that love is stronger than death through his rising to new life. Jesus invites us to follow him into the fulness of eternal life rather than holding on to eternal death. So Lent became the season for recognising and letting go of sin – and showing this by self-sacrifice and by expressions of devotion to Jesus who sacrificed so much out of love for us. On the first day of Lent – Ash Wednesday – the ceremony of having the sign of the cross, in ash, drawn on the forehead, became that sign of commitment to self-sacrifice: hence the tradition of ‘giving up’ something for Lent. But if you are going to fast for 40 days, denying yourself all the indulgent 3 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | FEBRUARY 2020 pleasures, what do you do with all the good things in the food cupboard that will go off? Easy answer – have a party first to use them up: PANCAKE DAY: Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday!). So, I invite you to join us on the Sunday nearest St Valentine’s Day (16th) as we think about LOVE – especially how we show our love to God and God’s love to others; then, the following week on the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday, to our PANCAKE BREAKFAST, which precedes our Communion service which will also have a sort of party theme; and then to our ASH WEDNESDAY evening service where we begin our observance of Lent and invite people to come for the sign of the ash cross. Love, Pancakes and Ash – an odd mixture, but all very much connected this month. Jim Perryman Sunday 23 February from 8:30am in church followed by 9:30am service On the Sunday before Lent, a time to get together for food and fellowship before worship. Please e-mail [email protected] or sign-up on the sheet at the back of church to give us an idea of numbers, as a help for catering. A big thank you to all who have supplied church flowers for the altar each week. It does make such a difference if we have real flowers there. However, it is becoming more difficult to keep the rota filled. I have at least twelve spaces this year, excluding Lent, Harvest and Christmas. Would anybody like to commemorate a special occasion and place flowers in the brass vases to remember a loved one or on a special birthday? Your floristry skills will not be judged! If you are wanting to do this, please ring me on t: 859949. Also, a big thankyou to the small but enthusiastic team who decorate the church for special occasions. What a great job they make of it. Joan Stevens 4 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | FEBRUARY 2020 www.leekwoottonchurch.co.uk ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH CHURCH SERVICES / EVENTS Charity Prayer Focus for the month: Intercontinental Church Society www.ics-uk.org Sunday, 2 February CANDLEMAS Prayer Focus: Guys Cliffe 8:00am Holy Communion (CW) 9:30am All Age Worship – A Celebration of our Baptisms see Page 6 Wednesday, 5 February 10:30am Holy Communion Sunday, 9 February Prayer Focus: North Woodloes 9:30am Holy Communion with MOSAIC (for children 2-12) 2:30pm Snowdrop Walk see Page 27 Sunday, 16 February Prayer Focus: The Hayes Apartments and The Warwickshire 8:00am Holy Communion (BCP) 9:30am All Age Worship – Faith and Life looking at LOVE Wednesday, 19 February 10:30am Holy Communion Sunday, 23 February Prayer Focus: Quarry Close From 8:30am PANCAKE BREAKFAST see Page 4 9:30am All Age Holy Communion with MOSAIC (for children 2-12) 5:00pm Trekkers (Y6-Y11) group at the Vicarage. See Page 8 Wednesday, 26 February ASH WEDNESDAY 7:30pm Holy Communion with imposition of ash Sunday, 1 March Prayer Focus: The Elms 8:00am Holy Communion (CW) 9:30am NO SERVICE due to road closures for the Warwick Half Marathon 5 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | FEBRUARY 2020 From the Vicarage PART 2: Does your LINK still look a little different? We hope you enjoyed the full colour Christmas edition of the Link and, as promised in that edition, this one too is full colour, but trying a different type of paper. It would be interesting to know your thoughts about the three options that the past three editions have offered: November: The ‘traditional’ slightly thicker colour cover with black & white inner pages and an occasional colour spread in the centre; December: Full colour on normal paper, again with a thicker cover; February: Full colour on silky paper, with cover and inside pages the same. The PCC, in consultation with the Link editorial and distribution team, will make a decision before the March edition goes to print, but if you would like to offer your opinion on the options, please do send it directly to me – either in a note delivered to the Vicarage or, preferably, by email to [email protected].