Benenden Magazine December 2016
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Benenden Magazine December 2016 Editorial ‘Tis the season to be jolly and in Benenden there’s much to be happy about; in particular that we are lucky enough to live in a village which still has a strong sense of community, bolstered by our two thriving pubs, a butcher and, perhaps most importantly, a village shop. We’ve also had big events to bring the village together - in November the fireworks and the visit of the Countess of Wessex - and there are Carols at the Café on Wednesday 21 December to look forward too. Quite soon it will be Panto time again. Oh yes it will! Looking back over 2016 we have a lot to celebrate in Benenden not least the great success of the village shop culminating in the accolade of ‘Community Shop of the Year 2016’ and the recent visit to it of Sophie, Countess of Wessex. None of this was achievable without the considerable input of a dedicated band of volunteers who oversaw everything from the setting up of the shop and the negotiations with Benenden School, to the fitting out, the setting up of computer systems, establishing the café and saving our post office. So to them I’d like to say a big thank you, and also to those who run the shop day to day, because the shop has become the village ‘hub’ that everyone hoped it would be. Benenden is a relatively small village and the Parish Plan set out our ideas for small scale developments to take place over a period of ten years to increase the housing stock to the benefit of local people. Recently there has been a scheme for 12 houses proposed in Walkhurst Road and alarmingly large housing schemes foisted on Sissinghurst and Hawkhurst; Cranbrook too will be expanded greatly. What do we want for Benenden? There will be an opinion piece in next month’s Parish magazine so please let us have your views. Minnie Garnier, Co-Editor The Benenden Magazine is published monthly as a joint venture by Benenden Parish Council and St George’s Parochial Church Council. It is distributed free to all residents of the parish. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers. Responsibility for accuracy of information rests with contributors and advertisers. Editors: Kent Barker, Peter Thomas, Minnie Garnier Editorial Board: PCC Rep: Tracy Claridge, PC Rep: Kent Barker, Treasurer: Charles Trollope, Acting Advertising Manager: Paul Leek, Advertising Assistant: Iain Fraser, Distribution: Marilyn and Dick Hill, Layout Editor: Camilla Macdonald Contributions to: benendenparishmagazine@gmail.com by the 15th of the preceding month. Advertising orders or queries to: advertising.benendenmag@gmail.com. Postal address: c/o Community Office, Benenden Village Hall, Benenden, TN17 4DY 01580 240371 1 Church Calendar St George’s Church Rector: Revd David Commander 240658 david@dc-uk.co.uk (day off: Thursday) Churchwarden: Tracy Claridge 240454 TLClaridge@TLClaridge.co.uk Churchwarden: Julia Collard 241944 Julia.collard@btinternet.com www.benendenchurch.org 850849 benendenchurch@gmail.com Please inform the Rector or Churchwardens if you, or anyone else, is ill or would like a visit or home communion. Friday 2 December 3pm Primary School Christingle Service Sunday 4 December 8am Communion 10am All-age Eucharist 5pm Evening Prayer and Sunday School Friday 9 December 5pm Saint Ronan’s Carol Service Sunday 11 December 8am 1662 Communion 10am Morning Worship Tuesday 13 December 2.30pm Primary School Nativity Sunday 18 December 8am Communion 10am Sung Eucharist Tuesday 20 December 1.30pm Primary School 7.30pm Parish Carol Service Carol Service Wednesday 21 December 6.30pm Carols in the Café Christmas Eve 3pm Crib Service 11.30pm Communion Christmas Day 8am Communion 10am Morning Worship 10.45am Communion Mission Church, Sandhurst Rector: Revd David Commander 240658 david@dc-uk.co.uk (day off: Thursday) Every Tuesday 10am Communion Iden Green Congregational Church Pastor: Rev Peter Michell 240642 www.idengreen.org.uk Sunday Services 10am Morning Worship 5.30pm Evening Worship The Roman Catholic Chapel Fr Barry Grant 713364 www.sttheodore-cranbrook.org Masses 9am Sundays 7.30pm Holy Days From the Parish Registers Funerals 2 November Iris Darlington Funeral 22 November Sheila Stewart Funeral and burial 27 November Audrey Potter Interment 2 Rector’s Letter Happy Christmas Happy Christmas! ... Enjoy the greatest gift that anyone could give or receive: the gift of new life, in the form of God’s Son Jesus - the little baby whose birth we celebrate on the 25th - Christ’s-mas. Why did God do that? Very simple: because he loves us. But he also said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Not just, “love one another” - that would be hard enough; but “as I have loved you.” This is not God’s “do this if you feel like it/when you feel like it”. This is God’s commandment - “Love one another”. If you believe in God, there is no easy answer to this; there is no ducking this commandment. There are two things that I know for certain about this: the first is that this is really, really tough to do; but the second is that the world would be a much better place if everyone lived life loving one another. How we get from where humanity is at the moment, to where God wants us to be and how he wants us to live, is the tricky thing that we’ve not worked out yet. I know in my heart that this is the scenario that I want to get to; I honestly know that life will be better. But I also know and see so many issues in life: how am I meant to love someone whose abused someone else; or someone who may have murdered - particularly if they’ve murdered a loved-one of mine; or someone from ISIS intent on brutal, irrational killing of anyone different to them; or the killers of the RC priest, Fr. Jacques? I honestly, even as a priest, do not know how to start to do that. What I do know though is that this is what God has commanded; and if we can do that that life will be better. But I cannot wait until others stop killing, or destroying other people’s lives, before I try to start loving them. It is up to me to make the first move. I have to try and find a way in my heart to reach out and offer that love. If I don’t as a Christian, why should others? If we are not prepared to take the first step as Christians, then the world will never get to that point of everyone loving each other. God has promised that his love will ultimately be shared by all people. So I know it will happen; I trust God in that long term vision. But I cannot wait for it simply to happen. I have to be part of making it happen. Perhaps remembering the birth of the baby Jesus - the Son of God for all people - will be a starting point this Christmas for sharing that love. Revd David Commander, Rector 3 Every Weekday in St George’swww.benendenpreschool.co.uk Hall, by Benenden Cross BENENDENAwarded ‘OutstandingPRE-SCHOOL’ by Ofsted -roads Small and friendly pre-school - LargeWee securklye ‘Sportgardensy To withts’ sess slide,ion s andpit,with playhouse and more! 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Uninvited, it pops up in association with international, national or personal situations. It conjures up visions of the same old actions, the same empty promises, boredom of unchanging routine, the demand for unwilling effort, or even the fear of an unpleasant experience or an unwanted struggle. However, although it comes round as regular as clockwork, there is one time to which we really shouldn’t apply it and that is the Christmas season. Yes, we always seem to have canned Christmas songs and carols blasting out in supermarkets and stores the moment ‘Remembrance’ is over; we approach the ‘present list’ with some trepidation being totally devoid of ideas this year; we know we will be bombarded by a plethora of special offers; charities will approach from every angle and then there is all the cooking! But in truth no one Christmas season is ever exactly the same as another.