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, 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, 01606 891366 Churchwarden: Mrs Pauline Ridgway, 16, Pickmere Lane 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.

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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 . 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 , 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 – 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. ten Prisoners’, by Peter Benenson, a Jewish lawyer whose mother Flora Benenson was Rus- sian. His father Harold Solomon was British, but he died when Peter was nine. Peter, who Saturday 15th 1.00pm First wedding of the year! Please pray for Melissa Carver and was tutored by W H Auden and went to Eton and Balliol, took his mother’s name much later James Pentecost who will be getting married, and for their guests – all 13 of them! as a tribute to his grandfather, a gold tycoon. Boyd Walk – due to the Coronavirus restrictions this annual walk has had to be With a group of lawyers and as a member of the Labour Party he founded Justice, the influen- tial human rights and law reform organisation, in 1957, but the following year he fell ill and postponed, but may be held later in the year, in the autumn. moved to Italy to convalesce, where he converted to Roman Catholicism. Christian Aid Week– Sat 8th to Sun 16th – you may receive an envelope through Amnesty campaigns to put pressure on governments where human rights abuse takes pace. It considers capital punishment to be "the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights.” the door and if so please return as directed or drop off in Church – thank you and please support Christian Aid’s annual fund-raising venture if you can.

Remembering an outstanding astronomer Church Teas and Summer Fair th It was 150 years ago, on 11 May 1871, that John Herschel – British astronomer, mathemati- The resumption of our very popular weekly Church Teas in the Parish Hall in Great cian, chemist and pioneering photographer – died at the age of 79. Among other things, he named seven of Saturn’s moons and four moons of Uranus, as well as investigating colour Budworth, and the holding of the annual Summer Fair, will be discussed at a forth- blindness. He was also President of the Royal Astronomical Society three times. coming meeting of the Parochial Church Council, and any decisions will be publi- He was the son of Sir William Herschel, a distinguished scientist who had moved from Ger- cized as soon, and as widely, as possible. Please bear with us...... ! many to Britain and later discovered the planet Uranus, thus creating a pronunciation problem that still hasn’t gone away. The Revd Alec Brown Sir John Herschel, himself knighted in 1831, made many contributions to the science of pho- tography and invented the blueprint. He was also deeply interested in the philosophy of sci- Vicar. ence and pioneered an inductive approach to experiments and the construction of scientific theories. Between 1834 and 1838 he worked in South Africa with his wife Margaret, studying and pho- tographing Cape flora as well as continuing his astronomical interests. It was here that he met Charles Darwin, on his way home in the HMS Beagle, and had a significant influence on him. Sir John also developed and backed the use of the impressive Julian day numbering system in astronomy.

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Thy Kingdom Come Finding Expression – and God’s Response – in Lament The question of suffering comes up regularly in discussions about science and faith. I 13th -23rd May 2021 once visited a school to speak to some of the older teenagers. One of the pupils had sadly passed away from cancer a few weeks before and his classmates asked, “How God could Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians let this happen?” Of course, these young people’s questions about where God was in this around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost for more people to situation were important. But the chaplain also gently reminded the class that their friend’s family were Christians, and that they were finding that their experience of loss come to know Jesus. had brought them even closer to God than before. Since its start in May 2016 God has grown Thy Kingdom Come from a dream of possibility into a movement. Christians from 172 countries have taken One way that grief can bring us near to God is when we share it with Him, telling Him exactly how we feel. The biblical writers had no scruples about expressing themselves to part in praying ‘Come Holy Spirit’, so that friends and family, neighbours and God, giving vent to emotions we often hold back in a church context. As my colleague colleagues might come to faith in Jesus Christ. Roger Abbott has written in his book on ‘Unanswered’ Prayer, “Let us not confuse rever- ence with spiritual prudishness. Perhaps honesty, the way it feels, is precisely what God During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who is waiting to hear from us.” takes part will: About one third of the Psalms express some form of grief. The  Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ book of Job is a series of responses to one man’s suffering as he loses his children, property and health in quick succes-  Pray for 5 friends or family to come to faith in Jesus sion. Lamentations is also one long outpouring of sadness at what happened to Israel under the Babylonians. Some of the  Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in prophets, especially Jeremiah, also express their pain at these our witness sorts of events – which reflect something of God’s own feelings at the suffering of His people. After the very first Ascension Day the disciples gathered with Mary, con- stantly devoting themselves to prayer while they waited for the outpouring Most of these biblical authors would have had access to Scriptures that encouraged of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Like them, our reliance on the gift of the Holy them to turn to God whatever the circumstances. Emboldened by their knowledge of His character and promises, these divinely inspired writers even express their anger to God Spirit is total – on our own we can do nothing. about the things He lets happen, or complain that He seems to act unfairly or ignore them in their plight. Not only do these people let out all their feelings without fear of This year the Archbishop of York has prepared a prayer journal. Each day reprisal, but they also clearly expect a helpful answer. Some record a resolution to their there are a few things to read, a prayer to offer and space to reflect. If you troubles – often simply because God speaks to and comforts them, enabling them to keep going. would like a copy they will be available in church, alternatively if you let us The biblical writers demonstrated that God can handle pretty much anything – anger, know, we would happily send one to you or anyone else you feel would ap- blame, bitterness – if we are actively looking to Him for help. As Pete Greig of the 24-7 preciate it. prayer movement has written, “pain that is not expressed can never be transformed”. We are also hoping to have other prayer areas during this time This series is written by Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, who is Church Engagement Director at The www.thykingdomcome.global has full details. There is also this year videos Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge. Ruth writes on the positive relation- for children starring the Cheeky Pandas ship between Science and Christian faith. 6 15

Great Budworth C of E Aided School News Nick Hopkinson’s year of being

High Sheriff in Cheshire.

(From his speech at the end of term service on the 8th April In his own words {Mostly})

Curating, collaboration and charity Everyone is excited to be back in school for the summer term. We have a lot of exciting learning planned for the children. The overall theme for the I have been asked a lot over the last 12 months what does a HS whole school is "Journeys", linking to moving on. Class One will be exploring do...... so I thought to mark the end of my Shrieval year I would share Journeys in general, Class Two are looking at Canals, Class Three have the what I have done and what I have learned..... popular topic of Volcanoes and Class Four are learning about Journeys through Ancient Greece. With over 4 years to plan I was really clear in my head that I wanted to use my HS year to benefit as many charities as possible. We are continuing to do as many fun activities outside, including our Forest As the Queen’s representative for law and order I was also going to School sessions which are a real highlight of the week for every class. Our visit every police station, every prison, hospital and fire station. long-term plans also include a residential trip away. There was huge excite- I would attend every award ceremony and I would make myself availa- ment when this was announced, especially as many families have had to ble to the county in any way that encouraged and thanked well- cancel holidays recently. Many of our additional curriculum opportunities meaning good people for their valuable contributions. are being supported by the government's COVID funding and / or through Then Covid came along and with it I re-examined how I could best serve the county and most of my plans went out of the window. the generous support of our FOTs team. Do keep a look out for details of summer fundraisers in due course. 1st quarter Lockdown Declaration on Zoom which has had over 5000 views. Mine was the first in over 1100 years to be live streamed and had over 1000 people watching in the 1st 24 hours. Mrs Teresa Nixon Writing to and making videos in my wonderful new uniform for all hos- Foundation Governor pitals, police, fire, ambulance, prisons and probation services. Working with LL on the Covid appeal through the CCF....which raised Federation of Antrobus St Mark's and a substantial sum...nearly £2m. Great Budworth Church of VA Primary Schools Scrounged 100s of hotel rooms for front line workers who needed to isolate from their families. Continued over 14 7

Found a free warehouse in for increased food bank activity. Women of the Bible Scrounged or provided around 600 hundred tablets for patients who were alone in hospital with no way of communicating with family and The Wise Woman of Abel loved ones. 2 Samuel 20 14-22. Also provided microwaves, kettles and other kit to help facilitate safe If you have never read the books of Samuel in the Old Testament, I urge you to Covid working practices in the hospitals. do so. The books start with the birth of Samuel, Samuel being called by God, Provided around 100 tablets for disadvantaged young people who Saul chosen as King and the life and reign of David. You will no doubt recollect needed them for home schooling. that things started to go wrong for David after he committed adultery with Helped to create an art project with artist Harland Miller “Who Cares Bathsheba, his family fell apart and he ended up fleeing from Jerusalem when Wins”....which generated £2m mostly for the NHS and this kickstarted his son Absalom rebelled and was later killed in battle. In the midst of political a whole wave of prominent artists following suit across the whole instability a rabble-rouser named Sheba attempted another revolt. Joab, the country. commander of David`s army chased Sheba all the way to Abel Beth Maacah in the north. Middle half Joab constructed siege ramps to assault the city and put down the rebellion. It Lockdown was evident that the entire city would be destroyed unless someone acted RMCH appeal for new brain scanner organised and put on back burn- quickly to preserve the peace. er. Suddenly a woman stood on the walls of Abel and shouted “ Listen! Listen! Tell Mentoring many charities over zoom on lockdown fundraising. Joab to come here so I can speak to him” Work started on building the new WYZ a £7.5m state of the art youth provision in the centre of ...which I have been involved in This wise woman explained to Joab that they were the peaceful and faithful in for 15 years. Sadly I missed the ground breaking as I was isolating! Israel “ You are trying to destroy a city that is the mother of Israel. Why do you WYZ fundraising moved from face to face to alternative strategies. want to swallow up the Lord`s inheritance.” For the autumn half term school break I organised a Food poverty ap- Joab said that he did not want to destroy the city but wanted Sheba to be hand- peal at WYZ which funded over 1000 hampers for disadvantaged fami- ed over. This wise woman spoke with the people in the city and they threw lies and which led to a major initiative on food poverty action across Sheba`s head over the wall and disaster for the city was averted. the whole of Cheshire with LL and the CCF. This unnamed woman looked for a solution other than war. It needed an imme- diate solution. Although Sheba`s end was gruesome, the woman ensured that 4th quarter peace remained and lives were spared. Through her intercessions lives on both Lockdown sides were spared. She did not wait for someone else to act, she had courage in Rearranged my Kilimanjaro climb with 16 ladies for the 3rd time. Now approaching and bargaining with Joab and showed great wisdom September. May we seek wisdom and act like the wise woman of Abel. Wisdom is not about Hosted the regional HS meeting for all NW HS. how many “grey cells” we have, but to do with our dependence on God. HS awards for outstanding citizenship via the Cheshire Life. Over 50 awards given out to brilliant people...sadly all had to be delivered “If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand through the post. the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Started a relationship between the office of the HS with Cheshire ReA- wards group recognising individuals or groups who have made a sig- For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and under- nificant impact on the community both as volunteers or paid employ- standing” Proverbs 2:3-6. ees. Continued over 8 13

The pandemic has been devastating for many people. We have lost With the LL I created a new group focussed on food poverty in War- thousands of loved ones, a huge number of businesses have gone rington which has spread across the county. Sharing ideas, initiatives, bust, people have lost their jobs and the country is in huge debt.....but money and food for the first time ever. And persuaded the CCF to co there are still many positive things to be thankful for. fund a food coordinator with WBC. Another first. As part of this we raised £60k to buy 2200 slow cookers and these are I think most people will have had time to reflect on their lives, their being distributed across the whole of Cheshire coordinated in North- dreams and aspirations, their core values and their objectives. I be- wich with a brilliant programme including training, recipes and food. lieve we will emerge as a kinder community, a fairer country and sig- Teaching people about affordable and nutritious food rather than just nificantly more tolerant. giving them food. I have been finalising my WYZ fundraising efforts...which currently Before my year ends, there are some people in Great Budworth who stands at £965k for the year. have had a huge impact on the community, they have gone beyond I have relaunched the RMCH initiatives for the brain scanner what has been expected and they have epitomised what the Queen Creating a partnership to ensure the long term security of the HS busi- was saying about the pride in who we are...... ness awards between the university, the LEP and the CCF. Finally I am pleased to tell you that I have been able to get agreement local people we should be proud of: for an international sculpture and art exhibition in Cheshire which I was Bob Wilkinson so close to having this summer but which will happen next year and Margaret Cross will be amazing. Shirley Humphries Jackie Wass BUT...... I have learned a lot. Christina Westwell Jenny McKay I have learned...... The impact of Covid on our lives and on the country Paula Donahue has been greater than we could have ever imagined. We find our- Maggie Blower selves in a situation where the economic gap in society...the difference Jim Martin between the haves and the have nots has widened. Wealthy people appear to have fared much better than poorer....people living in big Thanks to Alec and Ian for the service houses appear to have been hit by the virus less than people who live in small ones.....both medically and economically.

Having spent 10 days with our Cheshire Crown Court judges I have Nick Hopkinson MBE DL learned what a lonely job that can be....I also learned that the judges HOPPY like home made cake! You will be pleased to hear that between Lesley and I we have started a new tradition for future HSs to provide judges HS-High Sherriff, LL-Lord Lieutenant, CCF-Cheshire community fund with home made cakes on their court visits.

WYZ-Warrington Youth Zone, RMCH-Royal Manchester Childrens hospital I have learned...... Listening to the incredibly thoughtful speeches that WBC– Warrington Borough Council, Lep-Local Enterprise Partnership the Queen has made this year and playing them back to people has been very powerful. Continued over 12 9

This pandemic could be seen as creating a much bigger divide in our towns and communities, but actually I believe that many people here The pride in who we are is not a part of our in Cheshire have come up with ideas and actions to help reduce it’s past, it defines our present and our future. impact and significantly assist in the most vulnerable areas.

For many people overt displays of wealth have lost much of their shine “I hope in the years to come everyone will and some have become vulgar. The real modern day heroes are people who have mobilised them- be able to take pride in how they responded selves to help those in need and the disadvantaged rather than those to this challenge. who drive the flashiest and most expensive cars.

Raising money and awareness for school dinners, the homeless, men- “And those who come after us will say the tal health, the NHS and a whole range of other charities and good Britons of this generation were as strong as causes is seen much more of a civic and moral duty than ever be- fore...... and is starting to be celebrated.....it’s become cool. any. The one commodity that has become more valuable than ever before is kindness...... None of my achievements could have been done on my own..... I have learned that Creating and encouraging others can achieve ”No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” (Aesop) much more than I can on my own. The office of the HS can open doors, but if you want to bring about It’s not just about talking about doing great things....it’s about act- change then you need to motivate and inspire people....and get them ing.....it’s putting the graft in and it’s about getting others to get in- working towards a common goal. volved too.

If you ask and empower the right people to get involved and really give Some people have commiserated on what a terrible year to be High them the responsibility to make an initiative work they can achieve Sheriff....But as they old saying goes amazing results...one of my fellow DLs is doing just that with LapTops “Cometh the hour....cometh the man” for kids and in a very short time has over 1000 machines donated for Cheshire kids to help with their remote learning. I have loved almost every minute of it..... I have seen and met some extraordinary people. I have learned.....That the CCF is a brilliant way to get money to worth- And YES...... this year has been different, but I have been energised while causes, that have been thoroughly vetted and where they have by the absolutely amazing efforts of people from all walks of life. From to report back on their outputs from the donations. high profile celebrities to low profile hospital workers, from council workers to members of the police, from fire fighters to church wardens I have learned that Cheshire is a great county.....full of wonderful peo- and charity workers...... refreshingly ordinary people from all walks of ple....So thank you to all who have helped me and....in particularly a life have really stepped up and I am so proud to tell people I come very special thanks to my wife for her great understanding regarding all from this great county. the wonderful promised events that I had to sadly cancel....including Continued over the Queen’s garden party. Continued over 10 11