Parish Mag November 2020 V3.Pdf
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Celebrating life and faith The Ground Breaking Ceremony for the new Long Ashton Parish War Memorial took place on Battle of Britain Day, Tuesday 15th September, at the Flagpole, opposite the old Northleaze School, where most of the Fallen from the World Wars went to school. The short service started at 10.55 am, led by the rector, Revd James Harris. Squadron Leader Taylor RAF performed the removal of the first turf, ready for the construction to start. The new Memorial, a modern design by local architect Alan Atkins and listing all 97 Fallen from the parish, will be completed over the winter. The Dedication is planned for Monday 12th April 2021, eighty years to the day since the only civilians were killed in the parish due to enemy action, when the Mill Cottages were bombed on Good Friday, 1941. Dave Addis Rector’s Letter A year ago, I was preparing for a job interview - for the role of Rector of Long Ashton, Barrow Gurney and Flax Bourton. By the end of 2019, I would have completed the interview process (exhausting!), accepted the offer of the job (easy!) and set about preparing to move house (military operation!). The rest, as they say, is history. Many people have been kind enough to let me know how pleased they are with the appointment and, of course, this is encouraging to hear, especially on a day when Covid risk planning seems particularly wearisome. I have indeed been fortunate to find in the ministry team and members of the congregations of the benefice only unfailing support, open-ness and hard work in the face of the challenges we have tackled together. However, what really sustains and reassures me in this role is not public approval, but the knowledge that this is the place I am supposed to be working and these are the people I am supposed to be serving at this point in time, whatever the circumstances. In church language, we call this vocation - the sense of being called by God to a particular task or place which is integral to God’s wider purposes. When we’re obedient to our vocation (however daunting that may seem), we are playing an indispensable part in God’s plans for the healing of the whole world. That’s quite a thing! Now, I should say that discerning a true vocation is not always easy or quick, and there can be plenty of false starts and apparent cul-de-sacs along the way. However, I have learned that nothing is wasted in the journey and indeed, looking backwards can often illuminate the way those ‘wrong turns’ helped forge a clearer way forward. Elsewhere in this edition of the magazine, you can read Jo’s story, and how she has discerned a vocation that has brought her to train as an ‘ordinand’ (future ordained minister) here in Long Ashton. Jo’s and mine are just two of the many stories that form the tapestry of our community. What’s yours? James Sunday Services in November The Parish of Long Ashton 1 November All Saints - Patronal Festival 8.00 am BCP Communion Ephesians 1: 11-end 10.00 am Family Communion Luke 6: 20 -31 Morning Prayer (YouTube) 8 November Remembrance Sunday 8.00 am BCP Communion 10.50 am Act of Remembrance 1 Thess. 4: 13-end NB: invited representatives only Simultaneous live online broadcast Morning Prayer (YouTube) 15 November Second Sunday before Advent 9.00 am Sunday Breakfast @9 (Zoom) 10.30 am Family Communion: 1 Thess. 5: 1-11 Bishop of Taunton presiding Matthew 25: 14-30 Morning Prayer (YouTube) 22 November Christ the King 8.00 am BCP Communion Ephesians 1: 15-end 10.00 am Family Communion Matthew 25: 31-end Morning Prayer (YouTube) 29 November Advent Sunday 8.00 am BCP Communion 1 Cor. 1: 3-9 10.00 am Family Communion Mark 13: 24-37 Morning Prayer (YouTube) 6 December Second Sunday of Advent 8.00 am BCP Communion 2 Peter 3: 8-15 10.00 am Family Communion Mark 1: 1-8 Morning Prayer (YouTube) 3.00 pm Benefice Christingle service (live online broadcast) Online Worship Each Sunday our aim is that one of the church services in the Benefice will be available online, often as a live-streamed broadcast in ‘real time’, and then as an edited recording via our YouTube channel, usually available later the same day. There will also continue to be dedicated online offerings via YouTube (indicated in red). The YouTube channel is The CofE in Long Ashton, Flax and Barrow. It can be accessed from our parish website www.allsaintsla.org.uk. Please contact the Parish Office for details of how to join live broadcasts. Midweek Services HOLY COMMUNION Fridays at 10.30 am at Keedwell Church All Saints Church is open for private prayer each Wednesday 2-4 pm. Keedwell Church is open every Friday 10 am-12 noon. Ecology, economy, community: seeking godly justice for our shared home It seems like we’re living through a perfect storm: existing crises around climate, community cohesion and equality are being exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and it is becoming increasingly clear just how inter-connected these issues are. It’s no accident that the Greek word ‘oikos’ (pronounced ‘ekos’) describes a household, or a shared dwelling place. It is the root of both our words economy and ecology, as well as various words used to describe a village or community. In late November/early December, as we journey into Advent at the end of an extraordinary year, the churches in Long Ashton, Flax Bourton and Barrow Gurney will be hosting a series of discussion groups exploring the issues affecting our ecology, our economy and our communities from a Christian perspective. All are welcome to join in. At the time of writing, it is envisaged these will take place remotely via Zoom, with each session repeated twice in a given week at different times, to allow as many as possible to fit them in around work or other commitments. Introductory session: Tues 24 Nov (2.30pm) and Thurs 26 Nov (7.30pm) Session 1 (Ecology): Tues 1 Dec (2.30pm) and Thurs 3 Dec (7.30pm) Session 2 (Economy): Tues 8 Dec (2.30pm) and Thurs 10 Dec (7.30pm) Session 3 (Community):Tues 15 Dec (2.30pm) and Thurs 17 Dec (7.30pm) To express interest in joining the sessions, please contact the Rector, James: [email protected] or 01275 602331 Raising Funds for our Church whilst you shop... If you shop online, you can raise FREE donations for our Church. Many shopping sites will donate to us when you use #easyfundraising to shop with them! There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds. All you need to do is: 1. Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/allsaintsla and join for free. 2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping. 3. After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to All Saints Church, Long Ashton at no extra cost to you whatsoever! It’s so simple and could make a huge collective impact towards donations for our Church. It’s free and easy to use – on any device. Download a helpful app on all your devices to remind you to never forget a donation when ordering goods online. You could also ask your family, friends and neighbours to use this easy app to raise funds. Give it a go and see how easy it is to donate to our Church! Thank you for your support. Random Reflections Jill Watkins Why is it that bad news nearly always makes the headlines – big, black banner print on the newspapers, mournful voices and sad or horrified expressions on the faces of newsreaders? I glanced through Monday’s newspaper finding seven good-news but eleven bad- news articles. These included the spread of Covid, pollution, political scandal, rising temperatures and sea levels, poverty, injustice, racism, and terrorism. The next day I found a particularly encouraging article, “Breakdown of plastic waste sped up six times by new super enzyme”. You know as well as I do that plastic has become almost indispensable in our daily lives, but it has one enormous drawback – it cannot be broken down or recycled easily, hence the mountains of waste which just sit there. Plastic is made from oil. Extracting this is also polluting and energy consuming. When plastic does eventually degrade it forms micro-particles which have contaminated the whole planet including our food and even being found in our cells and no-one knows what the consequences might be. It was known that some bacteria have evolved to “eat” plastic by an enzyme they produce but it is a slow process. The breakdown products can be used to make new bottles instead of extracting yet more oil from the diminishing supply in the ground. Now it has been discovered that by using two enzymes in tandem the breakdown can be speeded up considerably and there is hope of producing a viable commercial product in the near future. This will also work on mixed-fibre fabrics such as polycotton which at present languish in landfill or are incinerated. Some of you may remember the WW2 slogan “Waste not, want not” and I guess most of you are familiar with the modern “Reuse, recycle” mantra.