2021 April May Outreach Opt.Pdf
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£ 1 or annual Subscription of £5 The Parish Magazine for Buckland Monachorum, Crapstone & Milton Combe Coming from a dark place At the turn of the year, a government minister in Ireland stated that with the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the nation was in a “dark place”. This past year, life around the globe, has been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the “darkness” it has brought. Of course, life without a pandemic, still brings situations or moments that initially seem to be full of darkness. There are times when all of us struggle to see any light at the end of the tunnel. There are times when we all feel hopeless. We are rapidly moving towards Holy Week, when the church remembers the final days leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. For Jesus’ first disciples it was a time marked by apparent darkness. Very early on the first Easter morning, as we are told in the gospel according to John, Mary is on her way to Jesus’ tomb. It is very early in the morning, so there is a darkness around her, and she is mourning the death of her beloved teacher, friend and Lord; she sees only sadness and darkness. In her grief, amid her tears, she meets the risen Jesus – and yet she does not recognise him – instead, she imagines that he must be the gardener. However, in this dark place, she sees a glimmer of light. Jesus calls her by name. Jesus cares about her, and her pain. He calls out to her with love and compassion. In an instant she is transformed. It does not matter that it took her a short while to recognise Jesus, and in time she was able to see that there was light despite the darkness. Easter is time of transformation. Darkness replaced by light; sadness turned to joy. As Jonathan Edwards, the 18th Century Puritan, boldly declared: “The resurrection of Christ is the most joyful event that ever came to pass.” And rightly did Charles Spurgeon say: “No man shall ever take from me the joy that Christ rose from the dead.” The resurrection is the most joy-filled divine event in biblical history worthy of our attention, awe and wonder. Phillip Brooks, a 19th Century American Clergyman, is perhaps most well-known for writing the lyrics to the popular Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem. In another of his compositions, Tomb, Thou Shall Not hold Him, he describes the wonder of Easter: Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger, Stronger than the dark, the light, Stronger than the wrong, the right, Faith and Hope triumphant say Christ will rise on Easter Day. At Easter, God calls out to us all with love and compassion, turning sadness to joy and bringing light to our darkness. Praying for a joy and light-filled Easter for you all. God bless. Rev. Andy. Pg 3 Thank Outreach Subscription 2021 There are no changes to the cost of Due your printed Outreach this year, so please put £5 on one side if you both! Now you have your copy delivered by The people of Crapstone and surrounding one of our trusty distributors! villages, have for many years had the benefit of a We are publishing 6 issues again in 2021 so Post Office and village shop. Jenny and Mark the next one will cover June and July. have worked tirelessly providing people of all ages with cakes, bread, vegetables and food of Each year, more of our readers make a all kinds. subscription by Bank Transfer, and we really The shop has very much been the focal point for like this method. the village, but now it is time for Jenny and Mark Outreach Magazine to have a very well-earned rest and a long Sort Code: 60-21-49 retirement. We cannot thank you enough, Mark Account: 0642 2004 and Jenny ,for all you have given us. Please give your surname and postcode as a reference. Thank you. This past year has particularly been a very busy If paying by cheque, please make it out to one for you with all of us sending more parcels “Buckland Monachorum Church than ever. You have had to adapt the shop to all Magazine” the COVID restrictions, but we really hope that you know how much we have appreciated all If you would like to subscribe (just you have done to provide us with all the essentials we need. £5 for six issues in 2021), please contact Margie Goodfellow on We are going to really miss you, and cannot 853152. thank you both enough for your service to us all. Our distributors can usually deliver to homes within our local villages. One and All Pg 4 Hello! News from the Many thanks to all our contributors, especially as so few of us know, in these Editor’s Desk uncertain times, how quickly we will be able to resume our usual routines and activities. Which events will be allowed in April and May, and what dates can we mention in these articles? Much of this issue is written in the HOPE of better times to come. We continue to thank those who are helping roll-out the vaccines to our communities, bringing forward the day when we can see family and friends again - see you back in church from Palm Sunday! We wish you a very Happy Easter. Nick and Diana Front Page: Just a reminder that we have many new arrivals on the moor, and we should ensure dogs are under control. Outreach Magazine Editors: (temp) Nick and Diana Kilby 01822 853671 Email: [email protected] Subscriptions: Margie Goodfellow 01822 853152 Distribution: Brenda Dilnot and volunteers 01822 853514 Adverts: David Oliver 01822 853671 Email: [email protected] Produced by: Nick Kilby Contributors this month Mary Barber, Andy Bowden, Ken Farnham, Steven Fryer, Jan Hughes, Richard Mabey, Caroline Mitchell, Jane Oliver, Nigel Rendle, Tom Watson, Shane Willson, Gavin Young and others The deadline for articles for our June/July issue is 15th May 2021 Pg 5 Buckland Cares A reminder of the purposes of this Facebook page: This group has been set up to provide support and information for the villagers of Buckland Monachorum and Crapstone. This page can be used as a point of contact for help and assistance. Anyone who can volunteer their time please leave messages via the page. The Food Hub run by the Buckland Cares group of volunteers in the Buckland Chapel was restocked generously last month and is always delighted to receive contributions of food or donations via the Chapel. Following the success of the Buckland Cares and Buckland Shares groups on Facebook, a new Strava group has also been set up for the village, as below: New Buckland Strava group, we had so much fun doing the LE JoG challenge (raising funds for charity) that we have set up a village Strava group. Please join in the fun. Buckland Monachorum Village Group A club for all residents (past and present) of Buckland Monachorum and surrounding areas to document exercise, discover new routes and support each other. All forms of exercise welcome. No offensive comments of any kind will be tolerated. Buckland Food Growers are back on their patch! Ke March is my favourite time of year as we have all the goodness of Spring and Summer ahead of us. It is also a time that I think of the Buckland Food Growers season getting underway. In reality, many of the groups are active throughout the year, but the increased light and warmer days do provide the impetus and spark of enthusiasm for the year ahead - a shot in the arm, if you will. The vegetable group is a case in point. We have had our winter meeting, chosen what to grow, planned our beds and have started preparing the ground. But on visiting the patch you are met with signs of work already done; a couple of rows of garlic, planted out in November, which have been belligerently defying the cold, and wind, and rain, to push on and get a head start on 2021. The sight of them also provides a lift to the members of the group when everything else is a little barren. The bees are a group that have little activity in the colder months as they stay in their hives, huddled together to survive until Spring. They are certainly active again now and members of the group will be busy attending to their needs and I'm sure will have been busy planning and preparing at home over Winter. The bee group have done a fine job rebuilding in the last couple of years after a loss of a couple of their hives. A group which is definitely active all year round is the chickens. These guys are a fantastic feature in the field and let their presence be known to visitors. They also produce eggs year round. Not to be left out, they have had their own version of lockdown as Avian Flu has returned again. We have had to repurpose our brassica cage to keep them in and, more importantly, to keep wild birds out. Our group leader has always been very imaginative in providing enrichment for the flock, but this is more important now that they are 'cooped up'. Netflix is not available in the field, but the chickens have an old Christmas tree with hanging toys, a swing (yet to be seen used), treats hidden amongst the straw and regular herbs and vegetables dotted around.