The Louth Herald

The magazine of the Team Parish of Louth 60p JUNE 2014

A celebratery walk of about 2 miles, from Westminster Abbey where we had gathered, to St. Paul's Cathedral, led by a band, on a warm, sunny afternoon began this momentous day of thankgiving and happiness. On reaching the Ca- thedral, all the "1994 Ordinands", retired to the Crypt to robe in albs and white stoles. We then met the Archbishop, Justin Welby, for photographs. As we stood on the steps we were a wall of white. The Archbishop greeted us and chat- ted informally.Photographs over, we were ushered through the three entrences into the Cathedral.

I was aware of a kind of roaring noise and unrealistically thought it was a lawn mower, then as it increased, I thought it was an areoplane. On stepping inside the relative darkness after the bright sunshine , I was momentarily blinded but the noise had now reached a crescendo. As I regained my sight, I realized the whole enormous congregation was standing and applauding us. Tears sprang into my eyes. It was overwhelming and the first time that it dawned on me that we were re- garded as pioneers. It was a strangely lonely and emotional walk up the aisle to my seat. I am told the applause lasted about 25 minutes.

Twenty years ago at my ordination in Lincoln Cathedral, I had thought that then was the pinacle of our struggle to be accepted on equal terms, but Saturday, 3rd. of May, at St. Paul's was a final aknowledgement. For me, 20 years as a , 30 years since I was made a deaconess in charge of a group of parishes, ( "an experiment" said David Tustin) and 33 years since my ordination as a deaconess and many years before struggling to be taken seriously to train. Possibly 40 years to be accepted.

The service of celebration followed. It was beautiful. Readings were from Ruth 1.16-18; St. Paul's Letter to the Philippi- ans 2. 1-11 and the Gospel St. John 20. 11-18. The Celebrant and President was Canon Phillipa Boardman with the Archbishop as . Two Testmonies given by The Very Reverend June Osborne, Dean of Salibury and The Reverend Kate Boardman, Assistant , St Mary's Heworth. Music, smiles and happiness filled the Cathedral. As Canon David Owen, who was present throughout as my guest, said it made him proud of the .

Many people have encouraged and supported me during these last 40 years. To name a few, the late Deaconess Ruth Miles, Bishop David Tustin, The Reverend David Lambert, Canon David Owen( who joined me for the walk and service), numerous retired clergy and lay christians, including particularly my late husband, David and my children. All these must share in the joy and triumph. Thank you. Daphne King

PARISH REGISTERS BAPTISMS 23rd Jan Phoebe Spendlow 18th May Jason Tanton (adult) Chantelle Taylor 25th May Evelyn Rose Bell Elizabeth Grace Gilliatt Elspeth Florence Mason-Smith Naomi Mae Brocklebank

WEDDINGS/BLESSINGS 3rd May Adam David Terry with Amy Ann Scott All Seasons Jack Barry Green with Danielle Marie Duerden

Self Catering Apartments 31st May Adan Paul Barter with Katie Elizabeth Jackson

Secure Off Road Parking

Garden and Patio FUNERALS

Open All Year 1st May Douglas Sidney Claude Lock, aged 90 7th May David Ward, aged 67 Ideally located along Eastgate for visitors 8th May John Albert Charles Richardson, aged 61 to Louth at any time or for any occasion. 13th May Joshua William Spowage, aged 24 English Tourist Council Award 4 and 5 star 14th May Monica Maisy Fairburn, aged 88 Finalists in Self Catering Holiday of the Year 15th May Charles Albert Reed, aged 89 In East Midlands for 2005 to 2006 21st May Phyllis Mumby, aged 87 All Seasons 23rd May Phyllis Mumby (Ashes)

140 – 142 Eastgate, Louth, LN11 9AA

Tel 01507 604470 www.allseasonsuk.com

Page 2

Jottings From St James SERVICE TIMES

SUNDAY SERVICES 10am SUNG EUCHARIST (CW1) The singing is normally led by the Girl Choristers and Men of the choir. (MORNING WORSHIP on the 4th Sunday of the month) 6pm CHORAL EVENSONG The singing is normally led by the Adult choir. Weekday Services 8 30am Morning Prayer (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) 11am Holy Communion, BCP (Tuesdays – please note that on the 1st Tuesday of the month this takes place at Trinity Centre)

ACTIVITIES at St. James’ WEDNESDAYS The Choristers practice after school from 4pm to 5pm on either a Monday or a Friday. The full choir practice on a Wednesday evening starting at 6.15 for the choristers who leave at 7.15pm and for the adults, 7pm till 8.30pm. Please contact the Director of Music information on joining this group. THURSDAYS Parents and Toddlers meet from 10 30am in Church House, Upgate. Toys and craft activities for toddlers and Kettle and cake for parents. All welcome.

From the Rectory… The arrival of our Assistant Curate It seems a long time ago that I raced around the parish on Sunday morning to announce that Kate Toogood would be joining us this month to become Assistant Curate in the Parish of Louth. Together with her family, she will be moving to Louth during June and preparing for her ordination as a Deacon in the Cathedral at the end of the month. Kate’s first ‘public’ appearance will be when she preaches at the morning service in St James’ on Sunday 13th July. After the service there will be refreshments, and I encourage everyone who is able to come and wel- come Kate in her ministry among us. I know that she will be spending the first few weeks living and working among us going to various events to get to know people, and I am sure that she will receive a warm welcome – just as I found when arriving with my family not so long ago. Becoming a ‘Mission Community’ Across the Diocese parishes are being asked to consider how they might best work to take part in God’s mis- sion in their communities. Proposals were first outlined in reports that were written as part of the Diocesan Review and were presented to Diocesan Synod at its meeting last September. We have had initial discus- sions around the idea of what it means to be a ‘mission community’, and consensus seems to be that we start working with the pattern of the existing benefices within the Deanery of Louthesk.

Each Mission Community is to be asked to reflect on how it serves its local community – both those who gather for worship and those who are touched by the Church in other ways – and what part the buildings play as foci for the work and ministry of the Church. Having had initial discussions at PCC meetings during the autumn of last year and spring of this year, we are now being asked by the Diocese to respond with our initial thoughts by mid-July. To do this, the idea of being a Mission Community and an initial view on how we use our buildings will be discussed at our PCC meeting on June 12th. If you have any strong views or ideas on how we engage with this discussion, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

Page 3

News from St Michael's

SERVICE TIMES

Sunday Services 9 30am SUNG MASS, CW1 3pm Baptisms (By prior arrangement)

St Michael’s Notes

St Michael's welcomed the Gilbert and Sullivan Amateur Operatic Society who performed a wonderful selection of songs from the stage and TV as a part of their annual Spring Show. The audience were really delighted with the concert, and there was a real buzz of real enthrallment as folks left to go home. The next concert at St Michael's is the Grimbsy Bach Choir on June 28th at £7.30. For more info or tickets call Maria Vincent on 01507 328149.

ST JAMES’S GUILD Table Top Sale Meet at Church House Saturday June 28th 2014 at 2.15pm 10 am to 12 noon. on South Elkington Church Institute. To Book your table Ring 01507 609774 WEDNESDAY Cost £2 a table 11th June 2014 HOSTESS: OUT FOR LUNCH PAM LEDGER

Page 4

Day 4 (1:14-19) concentrates on the creatures associated Genesis 1, Part 5 with the light and dark of Day1: the sun, moon and stars. They are for “signs and for seasons and for days and Do you remember the five stage journey of life? The first years” (v14). They beat out the rhythm of time. part, stages 1 to 3, lead away from God. This road is easy, and the gate is wide, but it leads to destruction (Matt Day 5 (1:20-23) is for the consecration of the creatures of 7:13). The second part, stages 3 to 5, has a narrow gate sky and sea (Day 2), birds and fish. and a hard road, but it leads to life (Matt 7:14). Only the second part is creation. Part one is destruction, travelling Day 6 (1:24-31) follows on from Day 3 with the creatures away from God until, by stage 3, you are as far from God of land: first the animals and then the final climax of hu- as it is possible to get. This is where, in verse 2, Gen be- mankind in God's image. The finale of any temple conse- gins his account of creation. cration was the setting up of the image of God, so that the worshippers could see what they were worshipping. His image of the absence of God is a formless, empty and In God's consecration of the whole world as his heaven, it dark ocean. There is nowhere to take a stand, no refer- is finished (2:1-3) when the man in his image is lifted into ence point and no hope. That is, until we learn that, even place so that the God who no one has seen can be here, the spirit of God is sweeping over the face of the known. waters. Gen is about to recount for us the creation of heaven. Earlier I said that John's gospel gives us clues to under- standing Genesis 1. Let me repeat that last sentence and He will bypass the long journey of stage 4 and take us give references to John for you to compare it with. directly to the final consecration of stage 5 – concept merging into consecration. And it will be the consecration In God's consecration of the whole world as his heaven/ of earth which turns it into heaven. In the time of Gen, Tabernacle (Jn 1:14), it is finished (Jn 19:30) when the the consecration of a temple (or a Tabernacle) was a man in his image (Jn 1:1) is lifted into place (Jn 3:14) so seven day affair (1 Kings 8:65). He makes it clear that it is that the God who no one has seen can be known (Jn the earth which will be consecrated by the content of 1:18). This, of course, takes place on Day 6 – Friday. Since those seven days. They fall into three, three and one. The this is the day on which creation is completed it is a Good first three days cover global concepts, the next three days Friday; or according to Genesis 1:31, a very good Friday. consecrate the specifics associated with those generali- ties, and the seventh day is the new heaven and new Once we see these parallels within John we can see that earth, the age to come, God's kingdom in all its fullness. he understood the week of Genesis 1 as the final week of creation. But also, (do you remember that “realised es- Day 1 (Gen 1:3-5) is light and dark, day and night. This is chatology”?), John is saying that the final week has been time. From the days of Gen to our own time this is how brought forward into Holy Week, climaxing on the Cross. we are aware of it and how we measure it. Hours, min- From Gen's perspective “God created heaven and earth” utes and seconds are based on day and night. was entirely in the future. From our perspective it is in the past tense because he did it on the Cross. That was Day 2 (1:6 – 8) and the first part of Day 3 (1:9-10) concern the first-fruits, our guarantee of the harvest still to come. sky, sea and land – three dimensional space; not the same three dimensions which we use today, but the Remember my earlier question, “where is the Tabernacle meaning is the same. in Genesis?”. The answer is – look around you – it is eve- rywhere! The goal of creation is to transform the whole The latter part of Day 3 (1:11-13) is about vegetation, world into God's heaven, of which the Tabernacle is just a which here represents matter. So in the first three days model or foretaste. Our world is a building site, but how- we have what, even today, would be regarded by most ever chaotic it may often appear, that is what will ulti- people as the total content of our universe – time, space mately emerge. and matter. The next three days delve deeper into these matters. But there is more. In the third paragraph of this article I said that Gen bypasses the long journey of stage 4. I lied.

Page 5

Tit Bits From Trinity

11am Holy Communion on the 3rd Sunday SERVICES 8 30am Morning Prayer each Tuesday 11am Holy Communion on the 1st Tuesday of the month

REGULAR ACTIVITIES in Trinity Centre TUESDAYS ‘Tasty Tuesdays’ – a lunch and time to meet and talk on the 1st Tues- day of the month. Contact Trinity Centre to book. WEDNESDAYS ‘Wednesday Drop-in’ from 10 30am to 1 30pm. Free advice and support – no appointment needed. FRIDAYS ‘Fish on Friday’ – meet from 10 30am a drink and a chat, followed by a lunch of Fish and Chips at 12noon. No booking needed. SUNDAYS ‘Sunday Lunch’ – a full roast meal on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Contact Trinity Centre to book.

Why not visit St James Church and bring a friend. Lots to see. Good Tea and Coffee with CAKE. And then peruse the shop for cards, books and gifts.

The congregation enjoying the concert at St Michaels Church

Page 6

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Snippets from Stewton

SUNDAY SERVICES 11am Holy Communion on the 1st Sunday, 3rd and 5th Sundays

Celebrate the Heritage Work in the Churchyard

This year we are putting on a weekend event at Stewton to give people the opportunity to choose which day is best suited to our visitors. It is on the first weekend in July (5th& 6th).This is like an early warning system so that the date goes in people’s diaries. The church will be decorated as a Flower Festival with the theme Flowers at a Country wedding, and what better setting is there than a delightful village church. All of our usual stalls will be there with bunting, gazebos, cakes and preserves, plants, good bottle raffle, stalls and delicious refreshments to be enjoyed in the restored churchyard. Come and have a look at what has been achieved so far. This is a fine setting for an event. Heritage Lottery Funding has supported our restoration but it is thanks to our volunteers who work tirelessly to make things happen and thanks is due to each and everyone who has given generously of time talents and money. They are far too many to mention, but if you are collecting loose change for us that includes you. Thank you!

SOUTH ELKINGTON

SUNDAY SERVICES 11am Holy Communion on the 2nd Sunday Matins on the 4th Sunday

Table Top Sale Saturday June 28th 2014 10 am to 12 noon. South Elkington Church Institute. Words from WELTON LE WOLD To Book your table Ring 01507 609774 SUNDAY SERVICES 8 30am Holy Communion on the th Cost £2 a table 4 Sunday 11am Morning Prayer on the 2nd Sunday

Page 10

Theology Bites 3 damnable stuff. Instead of being ‘people of faith’, we should become ‘people of reason’ and ‘people of evi- Faith, Reason and Dawkins (Part One) dence’. Ah! Then shall we see the light. For Dawkins, faith is in opposition to reason and evidence – both now and Faith, we are told – even faith the size of a seed - can historically. Faith tries to hold back the rational progress move mountains. We talk of ourselves as being ‘people of mankind. And to encourage our children into it is noth- of faith’. Sometimes we talk about our faith being weak ing short of child abuse. or faltering in some way. Faith is something – especially when thinking of Christ’s remark about seeds and moun- Do any of these charges stick? I have heard Christians tains – that we both value and regard as powerful and themselves agree that faith and reason are opposite essential. poles, that faith is something we need when reason fails us, that if we had reasons and evidence for everything, But faith is a thing that has come in for something of a we wouldn’t need faith, and so on. This is dangerous talk. bashing in recent times. For instance, Richard Dawkins If we talk that way we are playing Dawkins’ own game. (the famous biologist and atheist whose globetrotting campaign against faith often gets media attention) says Just what, though, should we admit to? Are we weak, as that faith is something we should ditch. It’s a useless Dawkins thinks? Often, yes – that’s just being human. Do waste of time. It enables people to believe in six impossi- we need support in living life? I would say so – and I ble things before breakfast, and encourages us to hold on would say so without being coy and sucking my thumb. to pie-in-the-sky nonsense when we have no evidence for But once up on our Christ-crutch and given ‘refreshment’, even so much as the existence of the pie. It even does we need to walk the walk of the Christian disciple and harm. He is not shy about reminding the world that sui- not lean on that crutch as a lazy sweeper leans on his cide bombers have quite happily blown both themselves brush. Have religious people ever been violent and war- and others to bits on the basis of faith. Don’t worry, like? Of course, though a deep question lurks here. If, though. He doesn’t regard all we rather nice C of E peo- two thousand years ago, instead of the arrival of Christ ple in quite that light. We are merely elderly, confused, we had the arrival of a virus that wiped out all religious and rather put out by the world out there. We are simply faith, subsequent history would have been very different. weak and rather pathetic, needing our faith as a kind of But would it have been any more rational and any less crutch because we do not possess the strength to face bloody? I have seriously to doubt that – we are all fallen the world as it really is – ‘red in tooth and claw’. people. Moreover, we may never have developed mod- ern science which, many historians agree, required the There is worse to come from friend Dawkins about faith. Christian conception of God to get underway. (A different Faith, we are told, is a thoroughly irrational road if we story.) seek true understanding. It is a pre-scientific anomaly that hangs on by a thread and that should have been cut For early Christians walking the walk occasionally meant years ago. Belief in God (or gods) may have been under- being fed to the lions. In being fed only to Professor standable for people who lived years ago, before we had Dawkins, we present day Christians (in this country, at science to tell us about the actual nature of the world. least) have a far easier time. To employ a once rather So, for example, we once needed the god Thor to explain notorious metaphor, it is rather like being mauled by a why thunder storms occur. (As if earlier peoples posited dead sheep. But although I think that Dawkins is funda- their gods for no better reason than to act as quasi- mentally mistaken about faith, we do need to be very scientific explanations of natural phenomena, mere clear about just what it is that are we being called to placeholders awaiting the real thing to be supplied much have when we are called to have faith. Without that clar- later on by the likes of Dawkins. Such naivety about an- ity we are the ones who will forever be very easy meat cients!) However, rational people have now learned bet- for the atheist. Next month I will outline a far more tradi- ter. We have more sensible explanations for things these tional and viable way of understanding faith – one in days. And these explanations are based on evidence. which there is no opposition to reason or the need for Faith, on the other hand, is based on clerical authority evidence. and dusty, ancient books we call ‘The Bible’. So faith is

Page 11

Flat to let Bridge street, opposite St James's Church. Available beginning June £325 per week. One bedroom, sitting room, kitchen and shower room. Shared yard and own storage shed. No park- ing. Suitable for single working or retired person. Non smoker. For more information call 07731871220

Page 12

TABLE TOP SALE - END JUNE By popular request South Elkington Church Institute has been booked for a Table top Sale on Saturday 28th June. Set up time from 9 am to 10 am and open to public from 10 to 12. The event will be advertised. Got lots of things you don’t need and don’t know what to do with them, have you been spring cleaning, do you have a hobby or craft where you would like to sell your goods. Refreshments will also be available. There will also be a raffle and a tombola so goods welcome for these please.

To book your table tel 01507 609774. Cost £2 a table.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - CHURCHES TOGETHER -LOUTH

Council Meeting dates: 3rd July 2014, 2nd October 2014 and 8th January 2015 (AGM)

TOWN & VILLAGE CLEANING SERVICES Local, reliable and professional service.

Weekly, fortnightly, end of tenancy and

Spring-cleaning.

Domestic and commercial work undertaken.

Please call to discuss your needs

Tel: 01507 602321 or 07792055393

NEED TO ADVERTISE SOMETHING? This Space could be for you. We have a circulation of around 400 copies a month. If so please contact the Deanery Office on 01507610247 And get a great deal.

Page 13

Moving on in faith At the various Annual District Meetings and the Annual Parochial Meeting various plans for the future were outlined – seeking to explore how each part of the Church in our Parish can make a distinctive contribution to our work or prayer and service. As well as noting a number of developments that have already taken place recently, the following ‘headline’ projects were agreed for the coming time:

St James’ • As a place of prayer we will seek to resource our worship more fully – particularly focusing on building up a secure ‘choral foundation’ that can provide a strong foundation in prayer for the work of the Church. • As we seek to welcome people to encounter the wonder of God. In particular, we will use the 500th anniversary of the completion of the spire (in 2015) to draw together a wide range of activities under the banner ‘inSPIRE 500’. • As we seek to grow into a varied community travelling together and growing in faith, we are reviewing how we use Church House, and how this can be refurbished and developed as a better resource for our life. St Michael’s • As additions to existing Sunday worship we are going to develop ‘Stations of the Cross’ as a monthly opportunity for weekday worship and fellowship, and look at ways of developing a non-eucharistic service of ‘Afternoon Worship’ on the 1st Sunday of the month. • A Church House Users Group has been established to look at the use of this building and to investigate how we might make improve its sustainability and develop its use further to the benefit of the local community. Trinity Centre • In the coming months we are working to realise the aims of working in partnership with others to further develop as a ‘community hub’ that serves the needs of the local commu- nity. • We are going to look at ways of further developing the potential of Trinity as a location for church in different ways on Saturdays – building on the experience we have after one year of ‘Messy Church’ events. Stewton • Efforts here are focussed on enabling better hospitality by the provision of toilet facili- ties in the churchyard. Welton le Wold • It is planned to join in Macmillan’s annual ‘Big Coffee Morning’ again this year, and ex- plore whether more community events like this might be possible. South Elkington • It is planned to develop the existing opportunities for people to meet and get to know each other. Ministry Team • Over the past year we have started to look at more varied ways of growing as disciples, and this focus on Discipleship and Spirituality will continue this year as we work with the Diocese to develop this work. • The coming year will also see us develop towards being a Training hub – particularly as we welcome Assistant this summer and next, but also in looking at how we can facili- tate wider opportunities for training.

Please keep these plans in your thoughts and prayers as we seek to find where God will lead us in the coming time. But please also remember that the work of the Church is not just the work of a few, but the task to which we are all called in our own way and in our own place…

Page 14 Proprietor: M L Addison

4 St Michaels Road

Louth

Tel: 604495 WOULD CARE SERVICES Would care offers a bespoke care service Every care package is tailored to your individual needs Carers are carefully selected and highly trained A free initial assessment to identify your requirements Regular reviews to ensure your changing needs are met Ensuring people get the service they deserve The best care is in your home NIGHT AND DAY Monday to Saturday—09.00 to 18.00 Enquiries please call 01472 355055

Kettle Funeral Directors

110 Kidgate, Louth

LN11 9BX

Funeral Directors Since 1931

Contact Senior Funeral Director

David Vasey Dip.FD. M.B.I.E.

Fully inclusive pre-payment plans available

Tel. 01507 600710

K B PAINTING AND DECORATING

A quality reliable service Exterior and Interior Painting and Decorating Repairs and Restoration For Free Estimates and Advice Ring Kev on

01507 524045 or Mobile: 07921 236 743

Page 15

The Writes: I write this shortly after it has been announced that the Queen has approved the nomination of Canon as the next .

It’s an enormous pleasure for me to be wel- coming David at such an exciting time in the life of our diocese.

David is currently the vicar of Cromer in Nor- folk --a large seaside town in the largely rural diocese of Norwich. So he brings first--hand knowledge and experience of life in a diocese very similar to Lincoln. He brings a wealth of gifts and experience which will be a great asset to us in the work we are doing to create more faithful, confident and joyful Christians, as to- gether we work to transform the lives of peo- ple in all of our communities.

David will be a and, like all suffragans, will share the work of the diocesan bishop across the diocese in some of the traditional leadership of the church – in leading services of confirmation and ordination, for example; but as his title suggests, he will also have particular involvement with North East Lincolnshire, the most populous part of our diocese.

David will be consecrated at St Paul’s Cathe- dral, London, on 25 July, and will be welcomed to the diocese at a special service in Lincoln Cathedral on 27 July. Please make a note of the date in your diary now and look out for more details of this coming your way.

David begins work as Bishop of Grimsby in September. Please pray for him, his wife Ann and their family as they prepare to join us.

Daphne and collages walking to the service at + Christopher St Pauls

The last date for submission of articles for the July/August 2014 Herald is 20th June 2014

You can send articles to my Email address which is: [email protected] or [email protected]

Page 16