Church Mag May 2021
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The Parish Magazine of Price 50p May 2021 Vicar: The Revd. Alec Brown, The Vicarage, Great Budworth Tel: 01606 891324 Associate Minister: The Revd Christina Westwell 42, Runcorn Road Barnton 01606 782743 Curate: Revd. Dr. Jenny McKay, Pendell House, 19 Westage Lane, Great Budworth. 01606 891564 Reader: Mrs Janet Rees, 15, Chapel Close, Comberbach 01606 891366 Churchwarden: Mrs Pauline Ridgway, 16, Pickmere Lane Wincham 01565 733494 Churchwarden: Mrs Margaret Cross, Wadesley House, Dark Lane, Marston 07732324001 P.C.C. Hon. Secretary: Miss Bev Harding, 11, Thistle Close, Pickmere 01565 734880 P.C.C. Hon. Treasurer: Vacant Position Sexton: Mrs Shirley Humphreys 9 Westage Lane Gt Budworth 01606 891204 Wedding Vergers: Mrs Linda Platt 01606 46425 Mrs Susan Ollier 01565734242 Tower Correspondent: Mrs Shirley Humphreys 9 Westage lane Gt Budworth 01606 891204 Old School booking secretary: Mrs Pauline Ridgway 16, Pickmere Lane, Wincham 01565 733494 G.B. School Head: Mrs Sandra Finney 01606 891383 Friends of Great Budworth Church: Mr Geoff Ridgway 16, Pickmere Lane, Wincham 01565 733494 Child Protection Officer: Mrs Karen Hammond 01606 891397 Parish Magazine Editor: Mr Robert Cross Wadesley House, Dark lane, Marston 01606 48036 Parish Website: www.greatbudworthchurch.co.uk St Mary & All Saints Articles for June edition send to Rob Cross: Great Budworth [email protected] by 21st May please Serving the villages of Arley, Aston-by-Budworth, Comberbach, Crowley, Great Budworth, Lower Wincham, Marbury, Marston, and Pickmere. 20 Sunday Worship 8.00am. Holy Communion 1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays Please be assured that during these strange and unprecedented times, the ministry 10.30am. All Age Worship 1st Sunday team are available to help where we can. If you are self -isolating and need shop- Rogation Sunday 9th May ping or medication delivering, please give us a call. With Bishop Mark Parish Communion 3rd, 4th & 5th Sundays We are available by phone or email or Facebook if you want to talk to us. We can offer a chat or prayer or both. If you have Facebook, have a look at the church page, Week-day and other activities @greatbudworthchurch and see Jenny’s blogs, Christina's virtual pilgrimages and 7.30pm Thursday 13th May Holy Communion Ascension day Jenny and Christina leading worship from their homes or gardens and the team Holy Communion on 1st Wednesday in month at 10.30am leading prayers We keep you all in our prayers. Stay well. The Rev Alec Brown (Vicar) 01606 891324 [email protected] The Rev Christina Westwell (Associate Minister) 07870 687304 [email protected] The Rev Dr. Jenny McKay (Curate) 07554 416058 [email protected] Mrs Janet Rees (Reader Emeritus) 07988 432889 [email protected] Mrs Margaret Cross (Churchwarden) 07732324001 [email protected] Mrs Pauline Ridgway (Churchwarden) 01565 733494 [email protected] Mrs Maggie Earl (Volunteer) 07970 927161 [email protected] All phone calls etc. will be treated with confidence, but may need to be shared with somebody else on the team. If you don’t wish this to happen, please let the person you speak to know at the time of first contact. 2 19 May Letter from the Curate Looking back at April it has been a rollercoaster of a month with profound moments of grief and others of great joy. We were thrilled to see so many people back in church on 4th April, Easter Sunday and it was such an apt day to return. On 8th April, we also celebrated Nick Hopkinson’s year of being High Sheriff in Cheshire. Not an easy year at all, but what Nick and his teams achieved has been phenomenal including the preparation of 1000 food hampers for families in need, and part of a team raising a couple of million of pounds for different projects. There will be more elsewhere in the maga- zine on this! It was particularly pleasing to see so many being recognised in our community for their services and there were several very surprised peo- ple, including me, at being on the list! Little did we know that the following day, we would receive the sad news of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. That day was also the anniversary of the death of my own father one year ago in lockdown circum- stances. The verses of Ecclesiastes 3 were never more pertinent “ For every- thing there is a season, A time for every activity under heaven….a time to cry and a time to laugh.” And isn’t that reflected in the Resurrection Story? The grief of Good Friday is superceded by the joy of Easter Sunday! In life, there is indeed joy in the midst of sorrow. Over the 50 days now between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday all of us have the opportunity to reflect on the resurrection. The message of the resurrection has never been more needed or more powerful at this time when people have suffered so much yet look for hope and meaning in their lives as we return to some sort of “normality.” I preached on the 3rd Sunday of Easter about the proof of the resurrection, the eyewitness accounts of the Christian story written only 50 years after the events themselves, the resilience and determination of the disciples to risk death to spread the news of the resurrection and, of course, the individual “faith” stories we all 18 3 have where we have experienced inexplicable coincidences or seen God at Be kind to each other work in particular crossroads in our own lives. ‘And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, The Queen, herself, and the rest of the Royal Family also participated in the truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.’ (Matthew 10:42) grief many have felt. Despite the role of the monarch, she was on Saturday 17th April, a lonely widow, stooped with grief and sitting in alone with few During the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been thousands of shining examples up and of her family around her. One would have had to have a heart of stone not down the country of people going the extra mile to help the elderly, vulnerable and those at risk. The helpers have been shopping, cooking meals, making regular telephone be moved by her sadness calls, and checking that needs are being met. We must sincerely hope that these acts of and to empathise with the kindness will continue well beyond the coronavirus outbreak. way COVID had also impact- Simple acts of kindness are so important in cementing the fabric of our society. Some years ago, this thought inspired the following poem: ed her own life. The music chosen was par- A Brighter Tomorrow ticularly meaningful and of course chosen by the Duke. There is much we can do just to brighten The words from Psalm 104 This world of all take and no give, There's a great deal that we can contribute arranged for choir and or- Through the everyday lives that we live. gan by James Vivian presents a poem about the creation of the world, em- By supporting one's elderly neighbours phasising the order of the world and the sovereignty of the God who creat- Or through lending a hand in some way It's by taking a bunch of spring flowers ed it and maintains it. The Jubilate by Benjamin Britten is a song of joy and To someone to brighten their day. thankfulness to God and belief in a world without end. It's by sparing a few precious hours In the service of those most in need A woman of great faith, I have no doubt that Queen Elizabeth will have tre- It's all about setting a standard mendous support from her family and God in the weeks and months ahead And trying to give others a lead and will know that death does not have the final say. The Easter event It’s the way that we tend to treat others And help and aid folks in distress marks a powerful transformation, in which Jesus takes our pain and despair It’s the care and assistance we offer and transforms them with the love that resurrects us from the death of That will set us apart from the rest. suffering. I pray that would allow this truth to permeate our hearts in the The choice that we face is quite simple weeks leading to Pentecost, lifting us out of despair and enabling refresh- The rewards plain for all men to see ‘As you did all of this to my brother ment of our souls. Then’ said Christ, ‘you did it to Me.’ May God’s blessings be with us all throughout the coming month. By Colin Hammacott. The Red Dr Jenny McKay 4 17 Amnesty International celebrates 60 years May 2021 St Mary and All Saints Church, Great Budworth Amnesty International was founded in London 60 years ago, on 28th May 1961. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! A non-governmental organisation with its headquarters in the United Kingdom, Amnesty Dates for the diary International focuses on human rights and is believed to have more than seven million mem- bers and supporters around the world. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its Sunday 9th 10.30am Rogationtide Service with The Rt. Revd Mark Tanner, Bishop “defence of human dignity against torture”. of Chester – service in Church and finishing with a short walk around the village. Amnesty came together following the publication of an article in The Observer,‘The Forgot- Please make sure you book in for this service with Pauline Ridgway.