Services at St Margaret’s St Lawrence, Seal Chart Parish Magazine during August 2014 August 2014 In the Church, every Thursday at 08:30, Morning Prayer (said) - CW Sunday 3 Aug 11:15 All Age Service Monday 4 Aug Anniversary of start of WWI 22:45 Prayers Sunday 10 Aug 08:00 Holy Communion BCP 18:00 Evensong BCP Sunday 17 Aug 11:15 All Age Service Sunday 24 Aug 11:15 Parish Communion CW Sunday 31 Aug 09:45 Joint Service at St Lawrence’s Sunday 7 Sept 11:15 All Age Service ST LAWRENCE CHURCH AND VILLAGE CONTACTS Vicar - Revd Carol Kitchener - 01732 761766 Reader - St Lawrence Church - Mrs Gretel Wakeham - 01732 761534 Admin Assistant - Tim Pearce - 01732 832408 [email protected] Parish Website - www.sealstlawrence.org.uk Churchwardens Ron Drury 810214 1st St Lawrence Brownies Janet Boswell 01959 523953 Rob Otto 457442 PCC Hon Secretary John Morris 810227 S’oaks District Councillors Julia Thornton 07831 234449 PCC Hon Treasurer Andy Rowell 884950 Roderick Hogarth 760325 Electoral Roll Clive McLintock 452964 Seal Parish Council Covenant & Envelopes John Morris 810227 Chairman Robin Watson 833930 Organist Lizzie Veglio 01634 244700 Vice-Chairman Edward Oatley 465905 Choir Director John Morris 810227 Clerk Lorna Talbot 763488 Bellringers Hon Secretary Peter Wharton 810388 Ward Councillors Peter Granville 763832 Deanery Synod Ron Drury 810214 Tony Bulleid Peter Wharton 810388 Sunday School Hilary Darque 453929 St Lawrence Village Hall Management Committee Vicar Reader Chairman Peter Wharton 810388 Child Protection Rep Kate Clark 810829 Secretary Janice Brooker 760843 The Revd Carol Kitchener Mrs Gretel Wakeham Treasurer Andy Smaggasgale 760552 St Lawrence Vicarage The White House Church Flowers Sheila Jackson 811422 Bookings Secretary Andy Smaggasgale 760552 Stone Street Bitchet Green St Lawrence CE Primary School Cricket Club Secretary Robin Webster 01892 862017 Headteacher Alison Saunders 761393 Badm’ton Club Contact Peter Wharton 810388 Sevenoaks, TN15 0LQ Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NA Chairman of Governors Sarah Hudson 810050 Archery Club Secretary Mike Davies 762266 01732 761766 01732 761534 Clerk to the Governors Sarah Brew 761393 Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators Church Wardens St Lawrence Pre-School Becky Stammers 763289 Stone Street Contact Janice Brooker 760843 Seal Chart Contact Nicola Mitchell 764202 Ron Drury Rob Otto Copy for the next issue should be sent, preferably by e-mail, to the editor, Garden Cottage, Raspit Hill 23 Hillingdon Avenue Brian Sutton (01732 450873) at [email protected] to arrive by 08:00 on Wednesday 20 August 2014 Ivy Hatch Sevenoaks The next issue of the Parish Magazine will be in Church on Sunday 31 August 2014 Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0PE Kent TN13 3RB 01732 810214 Edited and Typeset by Brian Sutton, 50 The Crescent, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3QY (01732 450873) 01732 457442 Printed by Highland Printers, Church Farm, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0AN (01732 762131)

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Our Vicar’s Page FOR THE CHILDREN . . . . August is the most popular month for holidays, schools have closed and families have an opportunity to go away together. Childhood recollections of holidays often include sunshine, sand, rock pools and melting ice cream - memories of something entirely different from the rest of the year. Most of us need time to stop whatever we do each day and do something different. If we are at work then a break from our daily routine is im- portant and it is nice to get up later in the morning. If we are retired then a change of scenery and routine is still important and will refresh us. The need to have holidays, or breaks in the normal routine, is an old one. In the book of Genesis (Genesis 1 and 2) we hear the creation story, on the seventh day God stopped creating and had a day of rest and for that reason the people of God always stopped work for the Sabbath. From that tradi- tion the Christian Church takes Sunday, the day of resurrection, as the day of rest. The Israelites enjoyed the religious celebrations of the year and we hear about Jesus and his disciples preparing for a celebration meal at Pass- over time. Jesus sent his disciples to meet a man carrying a jar of water who would lend them his guest room so that Jesus and the disciples could enjoy their Passover meal together (Luke 22:7 f). Time for a holiday, or even a day off, is time to play, to do something en- tirely different. As we spend our recreation time on different things our brains and bodies relax and we feel refreshed. Even when we have been physically busy on our day off we can still feel ready to return to our nor- mal activities. We need time to refresh and renew our selves spiritually as well. Perhaps that can happen when visiting a cathedral or abbey, or a holy place, some- where that we can be quiet and pray. It might be in a beautiful landscape where we can see the glory of God’s creation before us. Even if we are at home we can take time out to light a candle, read a few verses from the bible and pray. I hope that this summer whether you are at work, or away on holiday, you will find the time to be refreshed and renewed spiritually and physically.

Yours in the love of Christ

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Contemporary British Embroidery Words of Wisdom On Saturday 6 September 2014, Diana Springall, who is amongst the best known A 12 ‑year old girl who died following a battle with cancer left a secret message of British textile artists, will be giving an illustrated talk entitled “Contemporary hidden on the back of her mirror. British Embroidery” at St Mary’s Parish Centre, Kippington, TN13 2LL. Athena Orchard died a few weeks ago after losing her fight with the terminal The evening commences at 7 pm with Cheese and Wine with the talk at 8 pm. disease. Just days after her death, her father discovered a note written in marker Tickets are £12 and are available from 01732 454693 or on line from kippington- pen on the back of his daughter's mirror. [email protected]. Hilary These were Athena’s words of wisdom: ** Happiness depends upon ourselves. Messy Church Maybe it's not about the happy ending, maybe it's about the story. Messy Church this term was very successful although not quite as well attended The purpose of life is a life of purpose, as last term. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. The children (and their parents) Happiness is a direction not a destination. took part in five activities based You know my name, not my story! around the story of King Nebu- You have heard what I've done, but not what I've been through. chadnezzar, his huge statue with the feet of clay, which Shadrach, Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. Meshach and Abednego refused to Life is a game for everyone but love is the only prize.' worship. Every day is special, so make the most of it. You could get a life-ending We made sand pictures, musical illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. instruments, a fiery furnace for John L prayers, an enormous gold and sil- ** ver statue made from rubbish, and Confirmations at Chevening we decorated biscuits with icing For several months 4 members of St Lawrence congregation, 4 from St Mar- flames. These were all then eaten for refreshments. Lesley garet’s and 17 from St Botolph’s Chevening have been exploring confirmation ** as a part of their journey in faith in Christ. On Sunday 6 July they came together General Synod and Women Bishops with friends and families to declare their faith in our Lord, to be confirmed, and so enter the fellowship of the Anglican Church. The Church of voted on 14 July to allow women to become bishops, a After the opening hymn, the collect, the Epistle and Gospel, Dr Michael Nazir historic decision which overturns centuries of tradition in a Church that has been Ali, former Bishop of Rochester, preached an excellent sermon and then moved deeply divided over the issue. on to the confirmation service. As part of the actual confirmation Bishop Mi- Archbishop Justin Welby has said the first female bishop could be named early chael gave a brief personal homily to each candidate, no mean task, for in this he next year. used the Christian name of each in his greetings and making link reference to a The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev James Langstaff, said that it was important Saint or figure from the Bible. the church represented the view of the vast majority of its members. "Wherever And so we from St Lawrence’s welcomed Lyn Austin, Martin and Penny Rob- each of us stands on the spectrum of views, I want to suggest today that we have son and Megan Holness in the fellowship of faith. a responsibility to be guided, yes, by what we ourselves think, but also by what Afterwards we were all served refreshments from a lovely spread outside the we assess to be the settled view of the great majority within the Church of Eng- west door of the church. Ed land," he said. Ed ** **

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For your Diaries dren and adults and challenges faced by vulnerable women. Harvest Supper Bishop James, as Bishop not only of Rochester but also to HM Prisons, took part Stone Street Village Hall - Saturday 4 October - 7:00 pm in a short debate on the measures being taken to reduce the number of women 2 course meal, entertainment, quiz & bar given custodial sentences, saying, “it is undoubtedly the case that the female Tickets £12 per adult - £6 for children under 12 prison population disproportionately includes this who face huge challenges in available from Carol Lambert (763415) or Rosemary Cole (763107) their lives. It is also clear”, he said, “that prison is not the best place to address many of the issues that these people face.” Harvest Festival St Lawrence Church - Sunday 5 October - 9:45 am They have also put questions to the Government on the under-occupancy charge, Please bring along non perishable food items off-grid energy supply, wage levels of women in the UK, apprenticeships and to be donated to the Loaves & Fishes Food Bank Iran. run by St John the Baptist Church, Sevenoaks In the House of Commons, the Second Church Estates Commissioner has spo- ken about the teaching of British values. Messy Church St Lawrence Church - Friday 19 Sept - 3.15 to 4.30 pm ** A fun session of craft activities, music and refreshments followed by a short period of worship. Church Flowers All children must be accompanied by an adult. If you would like to come along, please contact Wendy Dartnell, tel 762999. Sunday 3 Aug Roz Morris St Lawrence Christmas Fair Sunday 10 Aug Jean Stirling Stone Street Village Hall - Saturday 22 November - 2 to 4.30 pm If you can help in any way, please contact Sam Drury, tel 810214. Sunday 17 Aug Jean Stirling

All Age/Family Service Sunday 24 Aug Bridget Stephens St Lawrence Church - The first Sunday of the month - 9.45am Sunday 31 Aug Bridget Stephens a very relaxed service for families Sunday 7 Sept Patricia Wilson with a basket of toys at the back if you need them!

Coffee Mornings St Lawrence Church - 2nd Tuesday in the month - 9 am onwards Your Prayers are asked for . . All children and parents/grandparents/carers are welcome young people preparing to go to a new school; ** students awaiting results of their exams; From Tony and Zara school leavers and graduates seeking or starting a new job; We are moving to Berkshire on the 8th of August. After a long association with St Lawrence Church and members of the congregation, it will be a big change. recently confirmed members of our two churches; We would like to thank everyone for their friendship and for making St Law- rence such a special place from which we will retain so many happy memories. all newly ordained priests and deacons; Our love and best wishes to you all. For all Your Blessings, we thank Thee, O Lord

I am sure that all would wish to join with me to wish Tony and Zara every happi- Smile ness in their new home and to thank them both for all they have done for us over. so many years. Ed What is a smile? It’s when you laugh in a whisper.

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Church News Items It is always a pleasure to welcome a new contributor to our magazine and this Calling month the following has been sent to Carol by our Arch Deacon, Clive Mansell. All Ordinations: The Church of England will be ordaining nearly 1000 men and women this summer to minister in churches across the country. Ordinations in Knitters! our own Diocese will take place in September this year. They come from a wide range of backgrounds including the Army, banking, so- In October/November later this year there will be Lost Sheep Trail cial media consultancy and racecourse management, new deacons and priests taking place at St Lawrence’s. will be celebrating their new roles as "Reverends" within the Church of England. For this we need a flock of sheep of the knitted variety! The Bishop of Sheffield, Steven Croft, Chair of the Church of England's Ministry If you would like to help by knitting a sheep, Council, said: "The ordination of nearly a thousand new deacons and priests in this season is a remarkable gift to both the Church and our nation. These dea- Please email [email protected] for more details. cons and priests will between them make an extraordinary contribution to the ** lives of communities across the land, in service, in leading God's people in wor- Sunday School Games & Picnic ship and through inviting others to follow Christ. It is a huge encouragement to To mark the last Sunday School see so many women and men in every age group responding to God's call to or- before the start of the summer holi- dained ministry". days, the children and their parents The total numbers of those preparing to be ordained is 962, made up of 488 Dea- were joined by the teachers and cons, who have just completed their ministerial training, and 474 priests. other members of the congregation Deacon is one of the orders of ministry, to which all clergy in the Church of Eng- for a special meet-up. The weather land are admitted. Some remain deacons all their lives but most are ordained proved to be on the damp side so priest usually a year after being ordained a deacon. Deacons have a full ministry instead of being on the field as in the Church of England but cannot preside at the Eucharist, pronounce the ab- planned we played games such as solution or pronounce the Trinitarian blessing. Shiver Me Timbers, Ladders and Sexuality, Scripture and Mission: The Church of England has today published the next steps in its process for shared conversations on Sexuality, Scripture and Mission. A short paper from the Bishop of Sheffield outlines the next steps for the Church Jesus Says (a version of Simon Says!), alter- following the publication of the Pilling report in November 2013 which recom- nating between the school hall and the play- mended that the church's internal dialogue on human sexuality might be best ad- ground. Next it was off to the church where dressed through a process of conversations across the Church. Lesley had laid out a treasure hunt. Lastly we The outlines of the process were approved by the House of Bishops at its meet- had our picnic lunch together, starting outside and retreating inside when the rain start- ing in May and are published today. ed! We also sang Happy Birthday to Vicky The document has been sent to members of the Church's General Synod ahead of Patient and Mary Sutton and shared a birthday its meeting in York from 11 -15 July. cake. The children were each given a small The Lords Spiritual: Bishops in the House of Lords have spoken in debates on gift, kindly donated by Beryl Storey. Every- the accountability of educational institutions, defibrillators in public places, the one had fun and agreed it would be good to commemoration of the First World War, the role of the voluntary and sector, repeat the experience next year. women in the prison system, human rights in Egypt, the abuse of vulnerable chil- Hilary

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Services and Events at Children meet promptly at 09:45 The Church of St Lawrence Seal Chart in St Lawrence School Hall on the dates shown in bold during August 2014 They will rejoin their parents in the church Every Tuesday at 08:30, in the Church towards the end of the service. Morning Prayer (said) (CW) All children aged 3 and upwards are welcome

21 Sept St Matthew's Day Lesley & Hilary Sunday 03 Aug Seventh Sunday after Trinity 19 Oct Lost Sheep Sam & Wendy 08:00 Holy Communion BCP Romans 9: 1-5 Matthew 14: 13-21 16 Nov Bags of Gold Lesley & t b a 09:45 All Age Family Service (Anniversary of start of WWI) 14 Dec Christmas Hilary & Wendy Ezekiel 36: 24-34 Romans 12: 15-end 18 Jan Candlemas Lesley & Hilary

Monday 04 Aug Anniversary of start of WWI 22:45 Prayers Next Meeting at Wendy’s on Thursday 8 January For further information contact Hilary Darque [0173 2 453929] Tuesday 05 Aug Prayer Time - (lasts about an hour - all are welcome) 10:00 At 50 The Crescent, Sevenoaks The Cover Picture - The second time our church was spared Sunday 10 Aug Eighth Sunday after Trinity 09:45 All Age Family Service Monday, 30 May 2005 was the Spring Bank Holiday, the weather was hot and Romans 10: 5-15 Matthew 14: 22-33 humid, and a storm seemed imminent. Soon after mid day a couple of walkers on their way along Church Road decided to shelter under the lych gate and as they Sunday 17 Aug Ninth Sunday after Trinity did so there was a flash of lightening and a massive crack of thunder. 09:45 Family Communion CW Moments later they realised that the church had been struck and quickly alerted a Romans 11: 1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15: 21– 28 group of young people working in the school garden who, in turn contacted the Monday 18 Aug Prayer Time - (lasts about an hour - all are welcome) emergency services and parish contacts. Fortunately an earlier lightening strike at 14:00 At The Vicarage Frankfield was being dealt with by Kent Fire Brigade and an appliance was at the Sunday 24 Aug Tenth Sunday after Trinity church very quickly. This was soon joined by four other fire-tenders and initial 09:45 Matins BCP attention was devoted to getting irreplaceable items (altar frontals, etc.) out of the Romans 12: 1-8 Matthew 16: 13-20 church, and stripping off tiles from the roof to expose the burning timbers. Thanks to the fire crews’ great care in using the minimum amount of water, the resulting Sunday 31 Aug Eleventh Sunday after Trinity water damage was not great. 09:45 Celtic Service (Joint with St Margaret’s) t b a There was a certificated lightening conductor in place on the church tower but the strike seemed to have been at the other end of the church in the vicinity of the Sunday 7 Sept Twelfth Sunday after Trinity power input cable to the vestry. As part of the repair of the damage a second con- 08:00 Holy Communion BCP ductor was installed and we now have one at each end, belt and braces! Romans 3: 8-end Matthew 18: 15-20 09:45 All Age Family Service Although there was quite considerable damage to the chancel roof with smoke Romans 13: 8-10 damage to the rest of the church and the fabric thereof. By late afternoon the fire

was out and at 6 pm Rev Michael Cooke conducted a short service of thanksgiving outside the porch. Once more, although damaged, the majority of our church BCP = Book of Common Prayer - a service using traditional (17th C) language and form building had been spared. Ed CW = Common Worship - a service using contemporary (21st C) language and form

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