Bolingbroke Deanery GGr raappeeVViinnee MAY 2016 ISSUE 479 • Mission Statement The Diocese of Lincoln is called by God to faithful worship, confident discipleship and joyful service. • Vision Statement To be a healthy, vibrant and sustainable church, transforming lives in Greater Lincolnshire 50p 1 Bishop’s Letter Dear Friends, Many of us will have experienced moments of awful isolation in our lives, or of panic, or of sheer joy. The range of situations, and of emotions, to which we can be exposed is huge. These things help to form the richness of human living. But in themselves they can sometimes be immensely difficult to handle. Jesus’ promise was to be with his friends. Although they experienced the crushing sadness of his death, and the huge sense of betrayal that most of them felt in terms of their own abandonment of him, they also experienced the joy of his resurrection and the happiness of new times spent with him. They would naturally have understood that his promise to ‘be with them’ meant that he would not physically leave them. However, what Jesus meant when he said that they would not be left on their own was that the Holy Spirit would always be with them. It is the Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, that we celebrate during the month of May. Jesus is taken from us, body and all, but the Holy Spirit is poured out for us and on to us. The Feast of the Holy Spirit is Pentecost. It happens at the end of Eastertide, and thus marks the very last transition that began weeks before when, on Ash Wednesday, we entered the wilderness in preparation for Holy Week and Eastertide to come. Coming ‘at the end of things’ Pentecost can sometimes seem to be almost an afterthought – a last gasp of celebration before the year turns fully green and ‘normal time’ resumes. I suggest that we should, however, try to see it as another moment of real transition, when, gifted with the Holy Spirit, God’s people realise that they have all that they need in order to live their lives fully and without fear in the world. The Holy Spirit is described in scripture as ‘advocate’ and ‘guide’. He is the Person of the Trinity who is always there. No matter what our particular emotions may be in any moment, God is with us. As we continue to grapple with population movement, with continuing unrest in so many parts of the world, and with the serious issue of the Referendum in our own country, to name but three things, I hope that we may draw strength, confidence and joy from the presence of the Spirit. Our gracious God does equip us with all that we need to live our lives as disciples in the world today. May God bless you this Pentecost and always, Bishop Nicholas 2 READINGS AT THE EUCHARIST Principal Service Sunday 1st May 6th Sunday of Easter (White) First Reading [Ezekiel 37.1-14] Acts 16.9-15 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 67 Second Reading Revelation 21.10, 22-22.54-8 Gospel John 14.23-29 or John 5.1-9 The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading. Sunday 8th May 7th Sunday of Easter (White) Sunday after Ascension Day First Reading [Ezekiel 36.24-28} Acts 16.16-34 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 97 Second Reading Revelation 22.12-14, 16-17, 20-end Gospel John 17.20-end The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading. Sunday 15th May Pentecost Whit Sunday (Red) First Reading Acts 2.1-21 or Genesis 11.1-9 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 104.26-36, 37b [or104.26-end] Second Reading Romans 8.14-17 or Acts 2.1-21 Gospel John 14.8-17 [25-27] The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading. Sunday 22nd May Trinity Sunday (Gold or White) First Reading Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31 Psalm/Canticle Psalm 8 Second Reading Romans 5.1-5 Gospel John 16.12-15 The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading. Sunday 29th May 1st Sunday after Trinity (Green) Continuous: Related: First Reading 1 Kings 17.8-16 [17-end] 1 Kings 17.17-end Psalm/Canticle Psalm 146 Psalm 30 Second Reading Galatians 1.11-end Gospel Luke 7.11-17 3 Group Registers: Funerals: Marden Hill Cluster Sylvia Joan Page 77 years Halton Fenside died 05.04.16 Raymond Stainton 82 years Toynton All Saints died 07.04.16 Spilsby Cluster Blanche Winn 91 years Great Steeping died 10.03.16 Lucy Winifred Short 87 years Spilsby died 12.03.16 Ivy May Todd 89 years Spilsby died 12.03.16 Joyce Mary Ellerby 85 years Spilsby died 21.03.16 Marjory Bradley 92 years Hundleby died 29.03.16 Robert Franklin Evers 86 years Spilsby died 04.04.16 Alastair Stephen Miller 65 years Halton Holegate died 04.04.16 Stickney Cluster Ernest Carlton Smith 85 years Stickney died 21.03.16 Baptisms: Marden Hill Cluster Connie Sarah-Elizabeth Waterson Toynton All Saints 17.04.16 Spilsby Cluster Caitlin Louise Barnes Spilsby 24.04.16 Partney Cluster William James Philip Ford Partney 10.04.16 May Diary Dates 1st-2nd Fran’s sponsored walk from Lincoln to Boston 3rd Raithby Village Hall coffee morning, 10.30am 3rd Little Steeping coffee morning in church 10.30am 3rd DDP Planning event, 7-9pm 5th Ascension Day Service at Hareby 7th Stickford Photographic and Art Exhibition, St Helen’s Church with May Fest at The Red Lion, Stickford 7th St James Spilsby coffee mornings start, 10am – 12 noon 8th Stickford Photographic and Art Exhibition, St Helen’s Church 10th Parish Officer Training Day, Petwood Hotel 10th Toynton PCC meeting, 7pm 11th Stickney PCC 13th Archdeacons Visitation service at Laceby 14th Toynton All Saints Chine Supper, Chapel Room, 7pm 15th-21st Christian Aid Week 16th Hundleby PCC meeting, 2pm 16th Stickford Church Bingo 17th Little Steeping coffee morning in church 10.30am 4 17th The Old Rectory Communion, Stickney 17th Chapter meeting 17th Archdeacon Visitation service at Sleaford 18th Archdeacon Visitation service at Freiston 21st Parish Officer Training Day at Lincoln College 21st New Leake Bingo 25th Spilsby Cluster Meeting 7pm, Spilsby Vicarage 30th East Kirkby Air Field Tombola for St Helen’s Church, Stickford 31st Little Steeping coffee morning in church 10.30am June Diary Dates 1st PAM Group, Spilsby Vicarage, 7pm (please note change of date) 4th Firsby Festival, Firsby Church 10am – 6pm 4th Hagworthingham Gift Day 4th Lincoln Diocesan Ladies Choir Concert, Stickney church 5th Firsby Festival, Firsby Church 10am – 5pm 5th Welcome to Archdeacon Gavin Kirk, St Mary’s Horncastle, 6pm 5th East Keal Pet Service, 3pm 6th Deanery Synod, 7pm, Hamilton Hall, Tetford LN9 6QQ 7th Raithby PCC, Village Hall, 7pm 8th DDP Planning, St James Spilsby, 7-9pm 9th Rural Dean’s Meeting 10th East Keal PCC, Maralyn’s, 3pm 12th Great Steeping PCC, Church, 3pm 13th Marden Hill Cluster Meeting, Spilsby Vicarage, 7pm 13th-17th Rev’d Fran on Strategic Leadership Course 14th Churches Together meeting, Spilsby Vicarage, 2.30pm 14th Old Bolingbroke PCC, 7.30pm 15th Lincoln AMPC 18th Hundleby Fete, 2-4pm 18th Mavis Enderby Mid-summer Madness, 2-4pm 20th Hagworthingham PCC, 2.30pm 21st The Old Rectory Communion, Stickney 22nd Spilsby PCC, Spilsby Vicarage, 7pm 24th Sutterby Service, 7pm 25th Skendleby Summer Supper 26th Ordinations at Lincoln 27th Stickney Cluster Discipleship Annual Review Please note date changes… PAM Group next meeting ~ Wednesday 1st June Deanery Synod ~ Monday 6th June 5 DEANERY CONFIRMATION SERVICE St James’ Church, Spilsby nd Sunday 22 May at 10.00am At Present we have only one candidate. Therefore, I would like to invite anyone who would like to explore their faith a bit deeper to think about joining us for the preparation journey. Those who have already been confirmed and those who have not (there will be no pressure to be confirmed at the end of the sessions, it will be for the individual to decide). I have often found that those who have already been confirmed not only help those preparing but find it a great opportunity for new growth in their own lives. Wednesday Mornings. At the 10.30am Eucharist at St James Spilsby we will address different “Marks” of our Faith and explore each topic afterwards over a coffee. Rev’d Fran’s Bit! I am watching the weather forecast with increasing foreboding. Why? Because I am just one week away from my sponsored walk from Lincoln to Boston – 33 miles along the Water Rail Way. And the forecast is not great. Rain, rain and more rain is anticipated for Bank Holiday Monday. Am I surprised? Not really. But am I tempted to call it off? Certainly. Two days in the pouring rain does not sound much like fun. And I am certainly not confident that I will manage to complete the course. So, why am I putting myself through this? Partly, because it felt like a good idea at the time! Partly because it is my way of raising money for our cluster Parish share which does not involve me in more meetings with more cake and biscuits to add to my ever expanding waistline. But mainly, because it is something I really, really want to do. I love getting out for long walks with my camera, because out there in the countryside, I can converse with God in a different way.