Church, Chapel and Village News
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Llansilin Newsletter Church, chapel and village news Number 101 SPRING 2018 This edition has been sponsored by Val and Chris Burton Dear Parishioners, So . the time is coming when, on 30th April, I will be going into my third period of retirement. I first retired in 1974 at the age of 41 because, having been vicar of Towyn, Abergele, for 13 years, a parish comprising mostly of holiday camps, I had had quite enough of front door bells and telephones, ice cream parlours, bingo callers and drinking clubs, endless crowds and wind-blown rubbish. I remember in particular the notice on the side of the local off-licence, Queue here for queue round corner. Thereafter I retreated into the Bodleian Library where I spent a couple of years crawling up the spines of old books. Bliss! I retired for the second time from my parish of Whitchurch on Thames on 1st August, 2000. I remember it well. The great cavernous Georgian house was emptied of furniture. (I tell people that there were eight bedrooms. In fact there were four bedrooms and four adjoining dressing rooms.) I was in many ways reluctant to leave it, the tennis court on the front lawn, the great cedar tree, the Thames at the bottom of the Relaxing at Whitchurch garden. For the previous 21 years it had given me delusions of grandeur. But we were removing to Gascony, anticipating a new lifestyle - shades of the Three Musketeers and paté de foi gras. Our leaving was not without its drama nevertheless; at five o’clock in the morning Ann was in hot pursuit of the cat which was leading her a merry dance through the neighbourhood gardens. 2 . And now? Nothing, at least for the time being. Following my third retirement on 1st May, Ann and I will remain at the vicarage rented to us by the church authorities. But I will no longer be responsible for the affairs of the parish. It does not mean I cannot take services if required. My permission to officiate still stands. But the incumbent of the Tanat Valley Mission Area, Revd. Lynette Norman, will be responsible for life of the churches. That does not mean that Ann and I are expected to abandon the many friendships we have made during the past four years. People will always be welcome at the Vicarage, but not on church business. St Antoine - le chateau formerly a fortified So how does it come to an end? monastery On the final Sunday of my responsibilities, 29th April, there will be a joint mission area service presumably at St Dogfan’s. So I have decided to hold a service of evensong at St Silin’s on the Saturday evening, 28th April at 6.30 p.m. so as to reminisce a little on the 60, admittedly intermittent, years of my ministry. (I was ordained deacon at St Asaph Cathedral on 1st June 1958.) If it sounds boring let me assure you it will be nothing of the sort. So put it your diaries and please come. May God bless you, Rev Richard Hughes Thanks from Esther As many will know Esther Milner has recently been seriously ill, but she’s now on the mend and wishes to say thank you to everyone for their kindness, she writes; Esther wishes to thank all for the lovely get-well cards and enquiries during her recent illness. She has been quite overwhelmed and now looks forward to a full recovery. Thanking you all once again, Esther 3 Church news April is the cruellest month… The oft quoted lines from TS Eliot have a particular poignancy for Llansilin for at the end of this month we lose our vicar – and he may possibly be the last. of a line stretching back to St Silin himself. Richard was, literally, a Godsend to our village and under his gentle care the congregation has slowly grown to being by far the largest for Sunday services in the Tanat Valley. Now, perhaps a thousand years of history will come to a close. Faced with severe financial difficulties the diocese may decide that there will not be a successor. After Richard leaves on 30th April our services, along with Llangedwyn, Llangadwaladr and Rhiwlas will be in the hands of the mission area leader, the Rev Lynnette Norman of Llanrhaeadr, though local worship leaders will play a prominent role. Few of us will forget Richard’s sermons – often more history than theology and laced with quiet humour, they made us think, made us laugh and were admirably brief. All too brief has been his stay here, but fortunately we are not losing him altogether. Richard will remain at the Vicarage for the time being and hopefully involve himself in village activities, but he is definitely not there to be pestered with church business. He will lead a farewell evensong on Saturday 28th April and is promising that his final sermon will be something out of the ordinary, a moment of final indiscretion before he hangs up his dog-collar. An eventful time But before then there is plenty happening at St Silin’s. On 6th April we have a fashion show in the church, staged in collaboration with M & Co. from Oswestry. There will be a splendid array of spring and summer fashion for everyone from schoolkids to their grandparents. The models will include a number of well-known local faces – turn up, or you may never see them looking so smart again. Before then, on March 23rd, we host another concert by the renowned harpist Lily Neill whose recital last year was truly memorable. Details on page 6. 4 The gospel truth – or is it? This year’s Lent course at St Silin’s will be focussed on St Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, which was not written by St Paul, is not a letter and is not addressed to the Hebrews. Confused? Hopefully just intrigued, so come along to the parish room at 6.30pm each Wednesday until Easter to hear Rev Richard unfold the mystery. More power to the flower ladies Are you part of the team who help to keep the church clean or arrange flowers? Why not pop in on Saturday 24th March 10am – 12 noon when we will be spring cleaning. Coffee/tea and hot-cross buns will be provided. This will be a great opportunity for the whole team to get together, and who knows what ideas may blossom? The silent killer in the churchyard Silently its tentacles creep across the tombs, sucking life from the gravestones, its black fruit so like a blackcurrant – and so deadly. Ivy. This rampant menace really is causing problems, inflicting serious damage to churchyard memorials, walls and trees. So we plan a spring blitz. Unfortunately the usual weedkillers are largely ineffective so the only means of control is to pull it by hand. That means we need an army of volunteers for the great ivy blitz – planned for a spring day when the weather may be on our side. Just keep an eye on noticeboards for the date to be announced and ideally before then let Val Burton (791274) know that you are interested in helping. Bring your own secateurs and waste bags, and as an incentive there will be prizes for the biggest heap and the longest single strand. And it isn’t just the ivy Grass has a habit of growing too, and without the help of volunteers the churchyard would become a jungle. In April we start mowing again and if you can spare an hour to help drop in on any Thursday evening from 6pm. Bring your own strimmer or use one of ours. You’ll enjoy good company and refreshments are provided. 5 How shall we remember them? Llansilin war memorial has now been fully restored. The cost was met by St Silin’s and the Community Council with the help of a generous grant from Powys County Council. It will now be in pristine condition for the centenary of the armistice that brought the Great War to a close. How else can we commemorate this historic event? The official national tribute website is at www.brunopeek.co.uk and already more than 800 sites have registered for hilltop beacons. If you have any ideas about ways that the village might recognise the great act of remembrance that will fall on 11th November the newsletter would be glad to hear, or speak to a community councillor or churchwarden. Don’t miss a musical superstar in concert On 23 March harpist lily Neill will be returning for another concert in St Silin’s. Last year Lily astonished the audiences with her musical virtuosity and we are lucky and delighted to welcome her back, playing the harp as few have ever heard before. As a child, Lily performed for the likes of US President Bill Clinton and alongside Irish super-group, The Chieftains. Her original compositions with a dynamic mixture of Irish jigs and reels, Lithuanian dances, Finnish tangos and Tatar folk songs have enthralled audiences around the world. This is a rare opportunity to hear a world-class musician in Llansilin. Don’t miss it. Tickets £10 (under 16s free) from Rowanthorn, Oswestry or on the door. Friday 23rd March 7.30pm, St Silin’s Church 6 Revision of church electoral roll It’s time to revise the church electoral roll. A notice and copy can be found in the church. If you are already on it you need take no action unless there are any changes you want to make.