Your Local Parish Magazine
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Alphington Life Alphington Life Your Local Parish Magazine March 2021 Price: Free to download. 80p when printed Scouts brownies & Rainbows all active during Lockdown. Local History: Beat- ing the bounds around Alphington. Our usual pages of cookery, gardening tips and looking up to the sky. The chiming bells of Alphington… and elsewhere. St Michael & All Angels Church, Alphington Rectory Drive, Alphington, Exeter EX2 8XJ www.alphingtonstmichaels.org Parish Directory Church Office for general enquiries 01392 662280 [ Please leave a message and we will reply as soon as possible ] Rector Rev Mike Partridge (Day off: Thursday) 491476 Reader Lesley Phillips-Cannon (Day off: Friday) 823890 Children & Families Lead Worker Youth Leader Hannah Harris 07546 897371 Pastoral Care Leader Eira Rowe 256660 Churchwardens Andi Linford & Roger Noden Andi: 833658 Roger 274368 Head Sidesman Marion Andrews 251925 Organist Sue Hutchings 07946 791277 PCC Secretary Marjorie Douglas 434176 PCC Offering Secretary Brian Willcocks 257839 Assistant PCC Treasurer Sue Western 275314 Electoral Roll Officer Alan Douglas 434176 Bell Tower Captain John Staddon 203772 Church Flowers Organiser Anne Bromwell & Mel Liversage Anne: 423780 Mel: 259024 Magazine Team Contact Church Admin 662280 How to contact us @ Alphington Life We welcome readers’ contributions so please send any articles, photos and diary dates of local interest for possi- ble inclusion, as well as responses, comments or suggestions regarding previous magazine issues to the editorial team at [email protected] To advertise in Alphington Life contact Juliet Meadowcroft at [email protected] Reach a local audience at very reasonable rates for 12 months. We take adverts of various sizes and in either colour or black & white. Juliet will be able to give you an indication of the cost depending upon your specific requirements. We are grateful to all our advertisers for their support. If you buy goods from them or use their services please say that you saw their advert in Alphington Life. Thank you. Enquiries for Baptisms (Christenings), Marriages & Banns of Marriage [email protected] [email protected] or phone 01392 662280 or 01392 491476 2 Alphington Life From The Rector Rocks, pebbles and sand A vicar stood before his congregation, he picked up a large empty jar and pro- ceeded to fill it with rocks. He then asked the congregation if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. Therefore, the vicar then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the congregation again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The vicar picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the vicar, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your faith, your hopes, your dreams, your family, health, educations, and the things that bring joy- anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. "The sand is everything else. The small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Take care of the rocks first- the things that really matter." Lent is a time to reconsider our jar, and how we fill it...the Pandemic too has forced many of us to think about our priorities. As we pray that we are coming to the end of this stage of the virus, let’s get our priorities right as a country, society, communities and as individuals. Priorities I would like to suggest based on kindness, hospital- ity, welcome, equality and faith. Priorities not about self but about serving others with joy. With thanks to Andrew Beane, Archdeacon of Exeter, for this parable. Lent and Easter Will we be back in Church for Easter? Will we reclaim that warm sense of fellowship as we stand shoulder to shoulder, singing praise to the risen Jesus? The answer is “maybe!” But even if we are allowed once again to use our buildings for public worship, it’s unlikely we’ll be allowed to sing. Social distancing will still be in place. Com- munion will be bread-only. I for one, long to be back in the building. But I long even more to be with people in warm fellowship, face to face. And despite all the shortcomings of worship by zoom, I love the sense of togetherness, warmth and the presence of God which is so very palpable. A challenge for Easter Calling out for readers, singers, artists of every sort and ability. We don’t know where our Easter worship will be, but we know what it will be. A celebration that Jesus is alive. From the Registers: We’re putting together a celebration, rather like our carol service. It will only work if you volunteer. Record a reading. A video or a song. Funerals at Exeter Your favourite piece of Easter art-work, with a short reflection on how Crematorium it speaks to you. Patricia Ruby Margenout We need them all sent to me within the next 3 weeks… to give us time to edit the work and create a celebration worthy of our Lord. Please Patricia June Copp come up with an idea. Speak to Mike or just send it in… by email, WhatsApp, or any other way you can manage. Linda Phyllis Doris Mike Partridge Scorer 3 4 Alphington Life Services and worship times whilst church building opening is limited Day/ Event How to participate time Our Mission Community churches are open for private prayer on the following days: Alphington: Tuesdays 12noon to 1pm and Thursdays 2 to 3pm. Ide: Thursday and Sundays all day Shillingford: Sundays 9.30—11am Please remember to wear a face covering and maintain social distancing. Every weekday 8:55am 8:55am Morning Prayer via Face- Streamed live via Facebook on the St Michaels’ Alphington page. Or book, led by Mike. A short viewed afterwards on the same page. – time of music and prayer, 9:15 with a Bible Reading for the am day. Wed. 1st Wed. of each month: By Zoom. If you are not receiving the invitation for this and would like prayer meeting via Zoom. to participate, please contact [email protected] or 01392 491476 This month’s prayer meeting will e at 9.30am on Saturday 6th March, making space for our Lent Course on Wednesday evenings. Sundays 11am 11am Morning service 11.00am By Zoom. If you are not receiving the invitation for this and would like to participate, please contact [email protected] or via Zoom 01392 491476 . It is possible to join our Zoom church services by phone and get the audio. You’ll need to contact Admin for the pass codes. Here are the phone number options: 0800 031 5717 0330 088 5830 0131 460 1196 0203 481 5237 0203 481 5240 0208 080 6591 0208 080 6592 We are sorry that we cannot yet hold services on a Sunday morning. The size of our congre- gation compared to the size of the building make it difficult to reopen as before, bearing in mind the recommended social distance we need to keep. We all want to be back in church to worship on a Sunday morning and we are working on ways in which we can safely do this. Refresh Youth Alpha 4.30pm online (Zoom) with Hannah. We hope to be back in print for April. Collection of subscriptions will be delayed until that time. New subscriptions, contact Marjorie Douglas on 434176 5 6 Alphington Life Lucy Williams, Children and and painting pebbles together as well as some taking part in Sweaty Church. Families Worker Lucy was also instrumental in forging new links with Lu- cerne House and through working with Alex and the staff, enabled our young people to become regular visitors for the residents. She also became a governor at Alphington Primary School which helped us develop closer ties with the staff and children, encouraging their participation in Harvest festivals and other celebrations. The children will never forget the sight of Rob Taverner’s tractor in the playground collecting Harvest produce for the Foodbank collected by school families. Then COVID hit ! who could have foreseen that almost a year ago Lucy’s job changed beyond recognition. No long- er were school assemblies possible and her usual normal, activities were suspended. However, undeterred, Lucy’s resilience and creativity meant she just did things differ- ently - she kept connecting with her Chattertot mums through social media, provided fun activities for carers In the summer of 2018, some members of Alphington to do with their little people through Zoom and organised church had the privilege of interviewing four excellent community challenges during the innovative “Pop Up” candidates who had applied for the job of Children and Christmas. Families Worker to take over the work which Gudrun had Always seeking to search out new ways to do things, Lucy started. One candidate stood out above the rest and had also undertook on-line training, bringing in new initiatives obviously a huge passion for reaching children and their to improve the lives of families in our villages. parents with the Good News of Jesus. So, Lucy Williams In November 2020 Lucy reluctantly decided to resign was duly appointed and took up her post in September, from her official role at the end of the year due to extra leaving a career in teaching for the new challenges of demands on her family time and the need to make their working in the villages of Ide and Alphington.