PARISH MAGAZINE LACOCK with BOWDEN HILL 50P
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PARISH MAGAZINE LACOCK WITH BOWDEN HILL 50p Team Rector The Rev. Dr. Andrew Johnson (01249 713232) TeamVicar Rev. Adam Beaumont (01249 730984) Licensed Lay Miss L. Culling, Mr. N. Pidduck Ministers Mr. D. Harvey, Stella Sage, Margaret Price PARISH OF LACOCK WITH BOWDEN HILL Churchwarden Judith Blakeney (01249 730649) Fiona Draper ([email protected]) Pro church Warden Janet Doel (01249 730318) (Bowden Hill) PCC Hon. Secretary Fiona Draper (01249 448362) PCC Hon.Treasurer Mig Barley (01249 730491) Gift Aid Secretary Chris Dawe (01249 461346) Electoral Roll Officer Fiona Draper ([email protected]) Deanery Synod Sian Hunt, Other PCC Members Mig Barley, Rachael McHenry, Alfred Pere Men’s Breakfast Club Rev. Adam Beaumont Organist Fiona Draper (01249 448362) Captain of Bellringers Ruth Lovelock (730083) F.O.L.C. Andrew Barley chair, Jill Poynton, secretary, Judith Blakeney, Geoff Fortune, Mig Barley. School Governors Rev.Adam Beaumont, Chair/Foundation Governor Simon Winfield, |Vice Chair/co-opted, Richard Hearn , Head Teacher, Liz Bannister Co-opted Governor, Lyndie Clarkson Co-opted Governor Fiona Draper Foundation Governor, Stella Hanraads Co-Opted Governor Nicola Burkinsaw Parent Governor, Stuart Jackson Parent Governor, Ann White and Ashleigh Whitbread joint Staff Governors,, 2 The Rector writes… I have chosen to focus on the first eleven verses of Psalm 105 today, partly because the whole Psalm is set for Morning Prayer on Wednesday 29 April in the Church of England’s lectionary or list of recommended Bible readings, but also because the Psalm gives us some practical guidance on how we might relate to God during these unprecedented times. The main emphasis in the Psalm is on God’s activity in history. Verse twelve onwards recalls in detail God’s provision for the people of Israel, particularly focussing on the events leading up to the exodus from Egypt. The first eleven verses encourage the people of Israel to give thanks to God for all that he has already done, rejoicing in him, seeking his presence continually and remembering his faithfulness to his promises. And we too can choose to thank God for what he has done and trust him for the future even as we cope with a troubling and difficult present. It reminds me of a hymn we used to sing when I was living in Wales: How good is the God we adore! Our faithful, unchangeable friend: his love is as great as his power and knows neither measure nor end. For Christ is the first and the last; his Spirit will guide us safe home; we'll praise him for all that is past and trust him for all that's to come. I am also challenged by verse four of the psalm when it encourages us to seek God’s presence continually. For some years now I have tried to practise the presence of God throughout the day, building times of prayer into the beginning, middle and end of each day and offering prayer to him when I am out and about; and I am trying to maintain these habits during the lockdown. You may well think that is fine for me as I should be setting an example of regular prayer as a clergyperson and I also have the luxury of working from home and being paid to serve God and the church. However, I would be the first to say that following God is a lifelong process of learning, that I still have my learner plates on, and that we are all called to be full-time Christians, whether we are paid or not. And the lockdown may be just the opportunity we need, however 3 unwelcome its cause may be, to revisit and/or develop some godly habits of prayer and Bible study that will stand us in good stead when we eventually emerge from this difficult time. Such habits also have the virtue of helping us to develop a routine to make sense of a life when often each day seems much like the one before. You may not be a creature of habit, but I find it really helpful to have some fixed routines to give shape to each day, aided in my case by a relatively regular waking up time to feed our two greyhounds and take my daily exercise with them first thing in the morning. I also find, to quote Margaret Thatcher, that ‘happiness is a ticked-off list’: setting simple goals to achieve each day or having an ongoing project can provide some structure and focus. And these don’t all have to be domestic chores or deeply serious: I am currently working in short bursts on a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle and enjoying transforming overgrown patches of the Rectory garden. I also recently received the following ‘Tips for your wellbeing’ in a mailing from Dorothy House Hospice which I think are worth sharing: Stay connected in any way you can – I have been deeply impressed by the many ways people are keeping in touch with each other, and have found my telephone bill has shot up as often callers want to have a much longer conversation than usual Turn down the noise - carve out me for nature, doing things you enjoy, listening to music, reading and other psalms. I also try to limit my exposure to the constant background noise of the news cycle and social media while remaining in touch with what is going on nationally and internationally. Use coping strategies that work for you – make the most of each day and try not to look too far ahead. If you need support, tell someone – do reach out to friends, family or neighbours for help if you need it, including of course the support networks within our own churches and team . I offer these sugges- tions to you humbly, recognising that I go through patches when I am depressed about what is happening to us at the moment and that even the most well-organised and task-focussed person will experience de-motivation as a lot of the norms we take for granted are stripped away from us. However, I want to close by quoting the beginning of Paul’s wonderful prayer for the Ephesian church from Ephesians 1:15-23 (the whole prayer is well worth reading) as it reflects my own thankfulness for you all and the 4 many imaginative ways in which you are coping at this time and supporting each other: ‘I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.’ With love in Christ, Andrew 5 Doorway is a charity drop-in centre for those who are homeless, sofa surfing or who have complex issues that might affect their ability to acquire and / or sustain a tenancy. A HUGE thank you to Peter Self for donating over 80 Easter eggs to Doorway this year. Don’t delay seeking medical help because of coronavirus People living in Wiltshire are being advised not to let worries about coronavirus stop them asking for medical help for them- selves or their children if they become ill, have a serious accident or have a concern about their health. They are also being warned that not seeking medical help for symptoms that could be the early warning signs of serious condi- tions such as cancer could be putting lives at risk. The warning comes as new data shows a considerable drop in the number of people coming forward to ask their GP for help and advice during the coronavirus outbreak. Recent statistics show that, in Bath alone, the total number of weekly referrals from GPs to the Royal United Hospital have fall- en from around 2,000 at the beginning of March to 300 at the end of April. In Swindon, the average number of patients being sent by their GP to the Great Western Hospital for further investigations into symptoms that suggest cancer each week has dropped by more than 200 to 80. 6 Dr Ruth Grabham, Medical Director at BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire CCG, said the statistics made for worrying reading because the drop in numbers “is not because people are not experiencing symptoms.” “While it may seem that coronavirus has put a stop to most aspects of everyday life, the one thing it hasn’t stopped is what’s going on inside our bodies,” she says. “Now more than ever, we need to pay attention to anything that isn’t normal and seek help early on. “For example, if you notice blood when going to the toilet, or if you’ve found a lump that wasn’t there previously, or if you’ve just noticed something odd that is causing you to worry, you need to speak to your GP. “Should the symptom be the early warning sign of something serious like cancer, that delay in seeking help could have serious implications for how successful possible treatments may be.” Although GP practices across the region have adopted new ways of working, such as establishing isolated clinics for potential coronavirus patients, the practices themselves are still open to offer care, treatment, advice and peace-of-mind. The same also goes for emergency departments at the three hospitals in Bath, Swindon and Salisbury, all of which continue to be open 24 hours a day for people with a genuine and life - threatening health concern. Additionally, all healthcare facilities in the region, as well as those elsewhere in the country, have put in place stringent infection control measures to ensure that the risk of contracting coronavirus while visiting a hospital or GP surgery remains low.